The Spirit Doll
by Raquenzel
Summary: Natsu was giving up hope of ever finding Lucy until one fateful day, the team stumble across a pink haired little girl with a peculiar smell, a necklace of keys, and an achingly familiar doll that she absolutely refuses to hand over. Curious over keys and unable to leave a child alone on the streets, of course they bring her with them! But geez, there was something about that doll.
1. Left Behind

The birds were chirping, the sounds of laughter and gossip echoing through the air outside. The sun was already high in the sky, warming the earth and all of its inhabitants below. The clock on the wall had just struck ten, and her stomach growled in opposition to her sustained lack of sustenance. Still, her primary concern waned from hunger to worry as she stared at the locked door across the room.

Out of a desperate desire for comfort, Nashi had huddled herself in layers of blankets and sheets and towels, anything she could find, but they had long since stopped emulating her mother's warmth. The layers from which she sought out solace now only served to add an even greater weight to the one already in her heart.

Lucy had gone out to get groceries for supper at about six in the evening prior, leaving a six-year-old Nashi behind for what was meant to last no longer than an hour. As a result, she had not eaten since their early lunch, her stomach was quick to remind her. She had sat patiently, energetically chasing around their little dog Plue in the rented room. He was strange for a dog, but Lucy had told her that he very well was - a spirit of the Canis Minor. That's what Mommy said, and Mommy would never lie to her. And so she believed. She had fallen asleep about twenty minutes into the wait, exhausted from a day's adventure, and so had not been aware of time passing until she woke in the early morning to a black sky and an empty room.

Lucy had assured her daughter that she would be gone not even an hour, bringing with her a well-dressed ginger man as protection detail to appease little Nashi, and had left her Plue to play with before locking the door securely behind her. And Mommy had never lied. So where was she?

Now it was light and noisy on the other side of their door, and Nashi swallowed as she hardened her resolve to play detective and scope out the scene for her mother. With a great deal of trembling and courage, she wiggled out of her blanket cave and landed ungracefully on the carpeted floor, nearly falling over before regaining her balance. Her head spun slightly, likely from combined hunger and heat, but she quickly shook it off and made her way to the door. Several stops were made along the way, to pick up socks and shoes and such, until she found herself standing, hand reaching for the door.

Wait, no. One more thing.

She had almost forgotten her mother's most prized treasures, excluding only herself. The gate keys.

The little girl's eyes scanned the room before landing on the table by the bedside, on which stood a short blue vase of dying lilies. Her feet drew her closer to the vase until Nashi found herself pulling out the stems and throwing them to the ground dismissively, petals scattering around her. Her impatience had her sticking her hand inside, right to the bottom, soaking herself in the process as she grabbed around until she felt them fall into her hand. Her nerves eased as she pulled out the keys, eight in all, shimmering gold in the sunlight that leaked through the windows. Their familiar patterns calmed her almost instantly and she took a moment to admire them. Though she knew them, Nashi had not been particularly good at summoning the zodiac spirits, but she had only started training earlier that year. She was very proud to say that she could summon with all of her Mommy's silver keys, including a very articulate grandfather clock spirit, and a compass who was quite the opposite in personality, with whom she got along with quite nicely. The pretty lady Lyra sometimes sang her to sleep, her voice almost hypnotic. Then there was Plue, her very best friend called the little doggy, whom she could keep out of gate for hours at a time.

For her own protection and practicing purposes, Lucy would often entrust her silver keys to her daughter, who had them already in her possession. And so, with all of the keys now with her, she only needed a better way to hold them.

After surveying the room once again, Nashi took a lace from one of her mothers shoes and proceeded to string each golden key before tying it around her neck. They were tied too close for her to use, but she didn't have the magical power to summon them anyway, so it did not trouble her. There, there was no way she would lose them like that. With keys still in mind, Nashi went to grab her mother's belt from the bed, where it had been tossed the previous afternoon as they returned exhausted from their daily search. She wrapped it around her middle and pulled it as tightly as it would go, the pouch with the rest of the keys resting at her hip for easy reach. Feeling slightly more confident with the weight of her friends, Nashi took the door knob in her hand and, pushing it open, welcomed in the sun of a new day.

Having keys that she could successfully call upon was comforting, but the girl was quickly reminded of her situation as she entered the busy bustling streets. Her Mommy was missing, and she needed to find her. How long had it been now? What time was it? Nashi did not know. Only that it had been way too many hours.

Oh yeah. And she hadn't eaten.

Even on an empty stomach, Nashi carried onward. She spent the day walking back and forth through the nearby bazaar, asking anyone and everyone if they had seen a pretty blonde young woman. She had learned quickly that asking for her Mommy was no good, as people around her seemed to look for a pink haired woman in their thirties at that. She did nab a few fruits along her way, only getting caught once, but that was an older gentleman who let her off the hook easily enough after a stern talking to.

"Stealing is wrong, and I won't do it again," she had lied, properly chastised. Even so, the fruits were not filling, her stomach still growled, and she couldn't afford to pay for food or have time to stop her search.

On and on she went, losing hope as the sky grew darker, until she was forced to give up for the day. Everyone was going home, and her mother had always warned her, "Nashi, it's dangerous to go out at night, especially alone. Promise me you won't." Having already broken half of her promise, the little girl retreated to the hotel room they had rented together, hoping that perhaps her mother went home after all. Either way, the promises she kept to her mother were important. The mother and daughter had a level of love and trust that was much, much stronger than one to be forged with an old merchant off a busy city sidewalk.

The next day, the search proved no more fruitful than the last, though her thieving skill had improved, for better or worse. At the end of the day, the guilt held no candle to the satisfaction stealing had reaped. She managed to collect about two hundred jewel total, and although that wasn't a lot, it was certainly a start. However, she was still caught now and again, and it became clear that if she were to continue on this route, she would have to shine up on her escape tactics as well.

On the sixth day Nashi noticed the stink. Though she bathed as best she could every night, she had run out of soap. Not to mention she was wearing the same clothes every day. She hadn't packed much, after all. It was only supposed to be one overnight stay. Though it did not cross her six-year-old mind at the time, Nashi was considerably lucky to have not been kicked out of the hotel by now. And so it was, as she left the room that day, her goal was not solely focused on finding her mother. Her faith was being exhausted at this rate, and the new distraction, though it misdirected her, suited her nicely. She needed new clothes, and while Nashi's cash stash was growing, she certainly couldn't afford to blow it on an outfit. As she couldn't call on Virgo like her mother might, the little girl ended up snagging a few adult shirts from a popular store where the clerks were all distracted with noisy customers. If it had not been for her tiny stature, her pink hair would have distinguished her from the crowd. Luckily, it seemed to only blend into the racks of clothes around her. After ducking into an alleyway to change her current dress, she reentered the main street another block over. After ditching the shirt in a box with a cat, she was planning to cut that day short and book it home to put the other new clothes away when something in one of the shop windows caught her attention. It was a sort of rag doll. It was sewn, but very pretty, and Nashi couldn't help admiring it in the window, completely blinded by the lack of any other sort of toy on display. Nashi was immediately completely enraptured and so her feet walked her right through the shop doors before she could spare a glance at the store sign.

Inside of the shop it was dark and smelled quite curious, the air thick with scents and perfumes, the sources of which lines the walls from floor to ceiling in shelves upon shelves of odd bottles. Large and small, thin and tall, and ranging in colors and opacity, some even glowed. She stared at them for a moment in utter awe, but then remembered the doll, and ran off to find where the window was. Once she found it, Nashi thoughtlessly reached out and removed it from the stand, all senses of manners forgotten. In her hands it was even prettier than she had initially thought, and felt soft to her touch. Dark brown buttons made the eyes, and thick yellow yarn framed the face, shorter strips in the front for bangs. She wore a simple blue dress with cut off sleeves, and a strange stitch around the feet that she supposed were meant to resemble boots. Nashi was not stupid, however. What had truly drawn her to the doll was the resemblance it bore, with the light blue ribbon tied into a bow in the yellow yarn hair. The doll, she looked like Mommy.

How long the girl stood looking at the doll, she wasn't sure. It could have been hours, or maybe just seconds, but she felt as if in a trance until she heard rusting from the back of a shop and a pair of footsteps getting louder and louder. Her eyes widened and her heart raced, and she didn't dare look up. At the sound of a low pitched voice that sent shivers rolling down her spine, she forgot all of her hesitation and bolted without another thought. She ran and ran until she was out of breath and didn't stop running until she had closed the door to her rented room behind her, and she held the doll close to her pounding chest as she fell against the door.

She didn't leave her room at all on day seven. Plue came out for a while and watched her sit. Her got her water, but she didn't eat that day. She refused to let go of the doll.

On the eighth day she was finally kicked out of the room as the staff remembered her at last. Her time was up. Mommy wasn't here, Nashi thought sadly, and now she had no more time to search. As she wandered the now familiar streets that day, she decided that she would go to Crocus. It's where she was born, and where she had lived for the first couple of years of her life, though she and Mommy would still leave for weeks at a time. Mommy had friends there from her old job at the magazine. And magazines had reporters, and reporters had resources.

And she had a home in Crocus. It was small, and it was probably full of spiders, in disrepair from lack of use. She hadn't even seen it in a couple of years, and was not sure that she would be able to find it. But it was definitely better than the street.

Right? Right.

It was with this thought that Nashi began a new adventure. It was her Mommy's adventure to find and rescue her old friend, and it was Nashi's adventure to find and rescue her Mommy. Time to play stowaway, she thought, and to the train station she went.

 **So I've actually had this for a while, and I started by posting the first few chapters on Wattpad under the name RQVT, but life had other plans. I'm editing it now so it's a bit different, but I think I'll be happier with it as it is here. Anyway, tell me what you think, it would make my day!**

 **Later,**

 **Me**


	2. Lost and Found

While the job had not been particularly grueling, it had been two long weeks before finally coming to an end. It had been a mission reminiscent of a game of capture the flag, and the destruction that ensued was among the worst that they'd caused in their outings together. Master was not going to be pleased. Though Erza was efficient at keeping the boys at bay, even she got tired once in a while. It was a relief to all of them when the finally stepped on to the cobbled streets of the capitol city of Crocus. Originally, the four had planned on heading straight to the train, but in their endeavors to claim the prize their job had set them out for, they had been stuck in the forest with nothing to eat but questionable vegetation and the occasional fish, the latter of which never seemed to get to anyone past Happy. As a result, the trio of wizards were starved for a decent meal, and when Gray insisted they stop in the city for a quick bite to eat, Erza did not resist. Despite the fact that a train ride would soon follow, Natsu was never one to turn down a meal.

Unsurprisingly, it would seem that the prospect of a meal was not enough to quell the fight rising between the two males of the group. They were still early in their argumentative antics, and so Erza did not step between them, opting instead to let the two occupy each other while she sought some peace and quiet. If memory served from the Grand Magic Games, there was a rather reputable bakery nearby. It would probably be significantly more enjoyable in their absence anyway, so she wasted no time in tracking the place down, leaving the human embodiments of fire and ice in her dust.

After asking a few passersby along the way, the requip mage practically skipped down the sidewalk, losing herself in fantasies of finally having something sweet to eat. Not having Natsu's nose, it took her a bit longer to find it, but her fantasies occupied her just fine until she finally closed in at the bakery, smiling up at the sign above her.

It was as she lowered her gaze that her mind cleared back to reality, and her smile vanished.

She had made it to her destination, that much had not been a hallucination, though she wished the crowd in front of her was. Though she had arrived at the bakery, she found herself incapable of getting through. The large crowd formed around the door and blocked the entrance, and the people inside were yelling obscenities. In the mass of confusion, fights were breaking out and pastries were flying every which way. The madness and mayhem and the sweet strawberry cake carnage that ensued as a result was more than enough to leave poor hungry Erza properly distressed.

She had just about resigned herself to mourning what could have been and seeking her nourishment elsewhere until a very familiar flash of pink hair dashing through the mob and disappearing out the other side of the crowd. Her vision turned red.

 _Natsu?_

Oh, he should know better. This changes everything, Erza thought to herself. How dare he? Well aware of his destructive tendencies though she was, this was absolutely unforgivable. She ought to have known better than to leave him and Gray to their fight, of course it would only progress in her absence.

She was going to kill the both of them.

Fueled by righteous anger concerning her lack of fuel, Erza dove into the crowd after the pink head of hair, quickly requipping her armor and weaving after her target without hesitation. A couple of people may have been trampled in her mad quest, but she paid them no mind. Erza didn't stop until she caught up, hands gripping him by the back of his shirt, fingers tightening around the fabric as she lifted him out from the crowd. She released her grip only an instant later, however, when her rage subsided and her vision cleared, revealing not Natsu as she had suspected, but a familiar pair of brown eyes, shining with tears, staring up at her fearfully.

The great Titania stumbled back, disconcerted by those teary brown eyes. For the briefest of moments, Erza saw her dearest Lucy on the ground in front of her, and her heart sprung with emotion, but the image shattered quickly. It was not Lucy; she had been missing for years. Surely, if the Celestial mage were to be found in Crocus, they would have known already. She had been a fairly famous Fairy Tale wizard, after all. Especially after the Grand Magic Games. No, it was a very young girl who looked back at her now, barely reaching her thighs in height. Though the child shared Lucy's eyes, they really had nothing else in common. Brown was a very common color, she supposed.

Erza surveyed the child more closely now, taking in her tattered appearance and the grime in her pink hair. She wore a long purple shirt that was much too big for her small frame, and a pair of black pants on her legs that tucked in neatly to the dirty brown boots on her feet. Pulled tight over her waist was a leather belt with a curiously bulging pouch attached, and Erza saw something sparkle from the inside of her right boot. Her hands clutched a small roll tight to her chest, knuckles as white as her face. The girl's outward appearance was worrisome to say the least, and the Fairy Tail wizard was struck with a sense of familiarity that had nothing to do with Lucy and everything to do with herself.

The tattered appearance was one she knew well, she had worn it before. the hunger and fear where unmistakable.

Still, what disturbed Erza the most of all was the black cord that hung loosely from the child's neck, strung upon which were a number of unusual golden keys, all unique and intricate in design.

Though her initial inclination was to apologize for her rough handling and inquire about a guardian, the next words tumbled out before she could stop them.

"Where did you get those keys?"

It had not occurred to Nashi that wearing her mother's valuable keys so openly would be problematic until she was confronted about them, and she considered that perhaps a necklace had not been her best and brightest idea. Her bottom lip trembled and she felt herself wanting to cry, the prospect of this scary woman taking the keys was too much for Nashi to bear. She pulled on one pigtail as she tried to contain her panic, but this lady was unrelenting and waited for an answer. The scary stranger was dressed in armor and Nashi found herself too intimidated to full out lie, so she settled for responding with the minimum.

"My Mommy gave them to me," the little girl offered. Her voice shook. Following these words came such a look from Erza that confused Nashi, prompting her to add to her statement.

"An artist was selling some at a fair. It took all day to win this many, but I thought they were really pretty." Under the redhead's continued gaze, she began to ramble on.

"They aren't useful," she wasn't lying, exactly. She herself did not have the magic power to wield them. "But I really liked them. The artist man told us they were modeled after legendary magic tools. I even started learning some magic after that, but then…" As Erza calmed her study of the little girl, Nashi began to quiet down, remembering exactly why she was no longer studying magic. The six year old girl had just arrived in Crocus the day prior, and feeling hungry as ever, she had been easily distracted by the sweet aromas wafting from the bakery. She'd only wanted a bite at first, but she had found herself caught loading her arms with sweets and had to cause a commotion in order to evade capture, losing most of the food in the process. She had almost been able to escape, too. Even so, little Nashi could not for the life of her navigate the busy streets of Crocus, let alone find her old home. How was she ever going to find her Mommy at this rate?

Though she was counting her lucky stars that she had moved the silver keys to what she deemed an undetectable spot, the gravity of her situation continued to weigh on her until she was on the verge of tears. She blinked them back when the scary woman spoke.

"My name is Erza." No longer feeling threatened, Nashi could appreciate the raw power and confidence in the voice speaking to her. "What is yours?"

"Na-Nashi." Was this woman perhaps not so scary?

"Where is your mother, Nashi?" The tears that had halted when Erza spoke now fell freely, and Nashi felt her knees give out underneath her. She sat on the ground, crying. It was the product of over a week of repressed emotion. Though Erza's words had been innocent and well-meaning, they cracked the emotional dam that had kept Nashi going.

her resolve had finally began to crack. It was the first time anyone had ventured to ask about her mother, and Nashi's inability to offer an answer upset her. Any denial Nashi had harbored was promptly chased away.

"She's…she's gone…" At that, they girl began wailing as the truth of the past few days crashed down on her.

Erza herself was taken aback. Having been on her own since birth, her suspicions of the girl before her immediately gave way as the situation clarified. A young girl was on her own in the capital city of Crocus. She was dirty and hungry and alone in a big city with barely any belongings at all. Certainly she would not hold out on her own. Did she even have a home? Then one detail of their short conversation struck her, and an idea formed in her head. The requip mage waited, but the tears did not die down. When it began to seem as though they never would, she reached out a hand and pressed it lightly on top of the girl's head, between two messy pink pigtails. She began to speak.

"You said you were studying magic, right Nashi?" The little girl raised her eyes up to meet Erza's again and she nodded slowly, willing the tears to stop.

"What kind of magic would that be?" She persisted. Well, and why not? An orphan with magic and no where to go, it was an old tale she knew all too well. Her solution seemed obvious.

"Ce-celestall, no, celestial magic. I can make friends come out of the air," she admitted shyly, but not without a touch of pride.

Hearing that was like a punch in the gut for a number of reasons, and Erza's mind scrambled. Perhaps it wouldn't work out after all. Not after Lucy. And what about Natsu? It would only hurt everyone at the guild, especially with those imitation keys around her neck. Maybe the girl would be better suited somewhere like Sabertooth where she could have Yukino as a mentor. At the same time, though, who was better suited to welcome her with open arms? Sabertooth had changed for sure, but the memory of their attitude in the grand magic games was still enough to dissuade her. Besides, many of her family members in Fairy Tail would understand the situation on a personal level. Natsu, Gray, and Erza were only three of many who had suffered a similar fate. They would welcome her with open arms, despite the pain. She might even help us heal, Erza thought.

"I can help you." Nashi couldn't believe what she was hearing. The scary woman - Erza - wanted to help her? How is that? Is this a trick?

"What do you mean?"

"I come from a guild called Fairy Tail. We're a big family, and we all learn magic together, work together, and take care of each other. I could take you there, if you want. Maybe we can help you find your mother." Fairy Tail? Something about that name sounded familiar to Nashi, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Slowly, it began to fill her with a warmth she had not felt in days, and a small smile slithered onto her face. She felt her body relax as she considered the offer. Could they really help her find her Mommy? Well, was there any harm in trying? Being part of a family sure sounded nice after the past two weeks of lonely wandering. At least for a little while. Nashi decided to take Erza up on her offer. She said as much.

"O-okay," she hiccuped, chasing away her last remaining tears.

"Well, I'm very glad to hear that, Nashi. Before we go, though, I need to find some of my friends. Why don't you join me? I'm sure you must be hungry. I'll treat you." At the most enthusiastic nod she'd seen so far, Erza took Nashi's hand and began to lead her back towards where she had left Natsu and Gray fighting earlier. Sure enough, as they neared her destination they heard two voices shouting though the masses.

"Wanna go, Ice Princess?"

"Shut it, Flame Brain!" They both heard a crash a few yards away. While Nashi turned her head in the direction of the crash, Erza's face clouded over, and she dragged the smaller girl over to the scene before releasing her hand and greeting each boy with a hard slap and a glare.

"Gray, Natsu, that's _enough,_ " she seethed disapprovingly. Then she recaptured Nashi's hand and led her over. As introductions went, it was uncomfortable.

"This is Nashi, she will be joining us. We're going to go eat, I suggest you join us. Quickly now, our train leaves in an hour." That seemed to do the trick. As Erza led Nashi into a diner about four doors down, the two stomped along after them, quietly ignoring each other. Gray, still slightly off-center from Erza's punishment, stumbled into Natsu on accident and quickly righted himself. Just as the latter was ready to retaliate, he caught whiff of a scent in the air that he had been missing for years, and he suddenly forgot to breathe. It was coming from the girl.

 _Lucy._

 **Well, this'll be an interesting lunch.**

 **Thanks for the feedback, it's really heartening. I'm glad to see people liking this story, and I can't wait to show Nashi's interactions with the guild. But I guess her meeting Natsu is important too, eh? In the meantime,** **Happy Saturday!**

 **Later,**

 **Me**


	3. That Doesn't Belong To You

The group of five worked their way over to a free booth in a corner near the back of the establishment, closer to the kitchen. Though Erza would have preferred to separate Natsu and Gray during their meal, Nashi's eyes had practically begged for them to sit together, and she found herself unable to decline. The boys found themselves sitting together on one side with Erza and Nashi across from them, Happy surprising the group by flying straight to the little girl's lap and settling there.

From the moment they had sat themselves down across from each other, Natsu would not stop staring at her. At first sight, she had giggled at the man, having never seen a boy with pink hair before. As his staring only seemed to intensify the longer they sat, Nashi was beginning to rethink her decision to go along with Erza, whom she decided was not so scary after all. After a full ten minutes of this unrelenting behavior, he leaned over the table separating them and — was he sniffing her hair?

Natsu couldn't understand it. This girl had her own smell. It was weird in it's own right, but that didn't explain why the pure, unadulterated scent of Lucy was coming off of her so strongly. It was like she bathed in it, like someone had bottled up Lucy and sold her as a body wash. Natsu wouldn't mistake it for anything, of that he was sure. Gray smacked him over the head.

"You're creeping her out, dumba—ah, dummy." The ice make wizard caught himself before he started cussing in front of the kid. The disturbed look on her face amused him deeply, and he would have laughed under different circumstances. As it was, he was already on thin ice with Erza, and Natsu was acting like a total creep. He was _smelling_ her, for goodness' sake. Noticeably.

Likewise, Nashi couldn't understand Natsu's fascination with her. She had taken Erza's advice to tuck her keys underneath her shirt so as to not attract attention, and with her silver keys now stowed deep in her left boot, the only visible belonging that Nashi had left was her doll, though she was almost certain that none of her new friends had taken notice of it, or else they would have asked about it. Anyway, she had stuffed it inside of the key pouch on the belt, having no other place to carry it. The doll was a tad too big, sticking out a bit at the top, but not enough to really be recognizable. Truth be told, Erza and Gray were asking a lot of questions, and Nashi was none too pleased. She couldn't tell which she disliked worse; their questions, or Natsu's staring. And, er, smelling. She hoped he did not make those a habit.

Now Gray turned his attention back to her. He had at this point been filled in on how she came to join their little group by Erza and herself, glazing over the bakery incident. They decided that Nashi's criminal status wasn't important. Still, he seemed to have plenty of questions for her.

"So your Mom went missing about two weeks ago," he recapped after berating Natsu for freaking her out. "Do you know where you were?" Nashi decided that she liked Gray for standing up for her against Natsu, even if his admonishment wasn't very effective, as the pink haired boy continued to eye her between bites of his food.

"There was a lot of forest around the city, with a bunch of creeks and rivers. Mommy would take me to look there, and then we would go back to Malba to eat. We were staying there."

"Malba. That sounds familiar. We've been there, haven't we?" He looked to his comrades for an answer. Natsu was still being Natsu, but thankfully Erza came through for him. After swallowing a mouthful of food, she replied.

"Yes, it was the Avatar incident. It's a small city with a large outdoor marketplace. Lots of stores. I assume Nashi here is referring to the Mikage Forest." Nashi nodded her head vigorously.

"So what exactly were you and your Mom looking for?" Gray directed his question at Nashi again. _You like him_ , she reminded herself. _You can answer_.

"Mommy was looking for her friend. Every time we left home, we looked for her. That's why I learned to swim so well!"

"Swim?" The three adults at the table seemed confused. And not without reason; what could possibly be the correlation between the two? This question was posed by Erza.

"Yeah. Mommy said her friend loves the water. If we were going to find her, that's where she'll be." Stumped and seeing no where to continue this line of conversation, Gray steered them back to their present situation.

"Okay. So why did you come to Crocus?" There was no water around Crocus, after all. It was smack in the middle of the continent.

"This is home." Her words shocked the wizards around her. Gray did not know what to ask next. Surprisingly, though, Nashi continued to speak. "Mommy and I lived here when I was really little. she worked for a magazine here. We had a house, but I don't remember where it is. It's prolly filled with spiders." Nashi then proceeded to divulge into a string of stories of all of the different spiders she encountered. Happy humored her with the occasional response as she spoke while the three remaining wizards absorbed the information they'd learned thus far. Gray and Erza shot each other looks as they leaned closer across the table to converse quietly. This left Natsu to continue to watch the girl entertain his little buddy with the dramatic details of her daring endeavors encountering eight-legged beasts. She had quite a penchant for storytelling, he couldn't help but notice. She was good at it.

Another thing Natsu couldn't help noticing was her eyes. He couldn't pinpoint why, exactly—plenty of people had brown eyes. It was a very common color, and he knew that. He supposed the scent of Lucy that overwhelmed his senses had probably muddled his brain and was messing with his mind. Warping his perception. Their eyes were probably totally different.

It was getting harder for him to breathe. Natsu wasn't following their conversation. How could he? He couldn't even think straight.

Meanwhile, Erza wanted to tell Gray more about her suspicions of Nashi, specifically in regard to the golden keys, though she was hesitant to speak in front of Natsu. He was already acting strangely, and she didn't feel inclined to open Pandora's box with him unless absolutely necessary. Nashi had said they were fakes, and she had given Erza no real reason not to trust her. Adversely, she hadn't given them a reason to trust her, either. It's because she's a kid on her own that they are welcoming her into their hearts. But she's also a stranger. And she did cause chaos at the bakery. The kid is a thief. Oh, no… A horrible thought occurred to the redhead.

Could she have stolen the keys? Perhaps she had come across Lucy at one point, and she thought they were pretty just like she said… But when would she have? No, the only times Nashi had stolen, it was absolutely necessary. She was hungry, she just stole food. Right?

Erza cast a long glance at Nashi as the young girl engaged with Happy. She doesn't seem like the type, though. Not someone who would steal something just because she thought it was pretty. Erza calmed herself down, as she waved over the waiter to bring them their check.

As he lost Erza's attention to her own internal conflict, Gray turned to study his best friend once more, and was surprised when Natsu didn't react. To Gray's surprise, he was looking extremely bothered by something, which was unusual behavior for the fire dragon slayer. Loud and boisterous as he often was, the Natsu they knew usually sported a smile and good humor, and was also very responsive. Under normal circumstances, the only times his cheerful demeanor vanished was in the presence of a serious threat. Redirecting his focus on the little girl, he couldn't find a single remotely threatening thing about her. Maybe she was a little weird, but what harm could possibly be hiding in the pink-pigtailed squirt sitting across from him?

The group of five left the diner shortly after, allowing Nashi to finish weaving her tale. Storytelling seemed to have put the child in a cheerful mood, for which all of them were glad. She skipped around, playing chase with Happy as they made their way to the Train that would take them to Magnolia at last.

In their little game, she had fallen over a couple of times, but always bounced right back without a second thought, motivated to succeed. They wove between crowds, paying no attention as Natsu and Gray riled each other up, with Erza walking ahead of them all as a guide. The redhead only turned around a few minutes later, when the volume of the fight going on behind her grew loud enough to bring her back. They were around the corner from the Train Station with ten minutes to spare. Really, these boys. Will they never learn?

The moment she turned around the two boys stopped, fear in their eyes and apologies on their lips. Despite the arms they held around each other's shoulders in a friendly manner, there were scorch marks and ice patches littering the ground behind them. Nothing broken, exactly. There shouldn't be any trouble. As she surveyed the minimal damage, she decided it wasn't worth traumatizing Nashi with a punishment as long as there wasn't going to be a fine, and went to take her hand and lead her into a train car, when she noticed something.

She wasn't there. Looking around, there was no sign of her pink pigtails anywhere. Where'd she go?

Gray and Natsu both figured that they were in the clear, so when Erza turned to them again with burning eyes, they panicked.

"Hey, what did you do now?" Before the other could retaliate, Erza intercepted.

"Where is Nashi?" The two young men paled considerably. Oops? Happy stopped and looked around, surprised to see he was no longer being chased.

"You probably scared her away with your stripping," Natsu accused, pointing out Gray's lack of a shirt.

Well. That was a new development. When had he done that? Without bothering to answer, Gray shook his head and took off in the direction he'd seen her last, while Natsu decided to follow the scent that had been haunting him since they met a few hours prior.

"I'll stay here and stall the train," Erza said to no one, requipping and summoning a sword from her arsenal. An insurance, so that no one would give her any trouble. She and Happy boarded the train to wait for them more comfortably.

It did not take Gray very long at all to find Nashi. She had intended on going back to the restaurant the very moment she realized that her doll was no longer attached to her belt. It must have fallen out while she was running around and distracted, and the thought of losing it had put her in an inconsolable frenzy. Of course she had gotten herself lost and at a dead end, and as soon as Gray realized that she would not calm down to talk to him, he lifted her over his shoulder and carried her back, her hitting him all the while. It didn't bother him, though. He had a kid of his own, he was used to it.

Back on the train, Erza heard a deep roar that confused her to the core. It sounded like Natsu, but at the same time it sounded so sad. It's been a while since she'd heard him roar like that. At this rate, he would scare Nashi. Erza wondered briefly if he had found the little girl and perhaps discovered her keys, only to shake the thought out of her head. Impossible. Rushing toward her was Gray, with a wriggling mess of a girl tossed over his shoulder. She was freaking out, but otherwise looked unharmed. Same large purple shirt, same grime in her hair, and she could see the cord with the keys peeking out of her shirt around the back of her neck, otherwise concealed. So what happened?

The dragon slayer was beside himself. He stood at the side of the street, looking down toward the cobblestone, upon which lay a small rag doll, wearing a very troubled look on his face. Was this some kind of sick joke? He had followed the same strong scent that had been coming from Nashi all day. Had she been concealing this all along? This …doll?

Of course it was a doll. And not only did it reek of Lucy, but it looked like her too. He may not have seen her in over seven years, but there was no mistaking it. It was as if Lucy had been replicated in doll form, down to the blue ribbon in her hair, albeit a bit more modestly dressed. He picked it up slowly, almost scared to touch it. It just smelled so strongly of her. Was it some kind of voodoo?

What the hell was going on!?

About two minutes too late, Natsu burst into the train car in which his friends were waiting to go home. He marched straight up to Nashi, angry and hurt, forgetting that his current target was only six years old. His senses were overwhelmed with Lucy.

"Explain this!" He shouted at her. Gray was shocked and more than a little annoyed at this outburst. He was trying to calm the girl down, dammit! Not work her up more. Nashi, however, surprised them all as she lunged at him, ripping the doll from his hands. Angry at herself for losing it, and angry at Natsu for accusing her, she pushed him back, screaming not to touch it. At that exact moment, the train began to move and Natsu slumped onto his seat feeling resigned, rendered speechless by his motion sickness. Though the remaining two occupants both tried to understand what had transpired, as soon as the girl had reclaimed what was hers, she went straight to a corner and curled herself into a ball, hugging her doll too closely for either Erza or Gray to recognize it. She refused to speak to anyone at all for the next few hours, until the train finally stopped in Magnolia.

By the time they exited the train, Nashi calmed down enough to explain what happened, and so that is what occupies three of the five as they trek back to their home, Natsu slowly trailing behind them, exceed at his side.

The walk to Fairy Tail seemed shorter than usual as Nashi took in the city around her. She couldn't help admiring it as they passed through the streets, and so grew unaware as time ticked by on their journey.

They're nearing the Guild when someone finally asks the question that had been on all of their minds. Gray reaches out to open the door.

"So why do you care about that doll so much, anyway? You said you haven't even had it that long." This was true. On the walk over, she had begrudgingly told Erza and Gray about her circumstances in finding it. Erza had been especially bothered to hear she had stolen it, bringing her older concerns flaring back to life. Maybe she did steal those keys after all. The older wizard felt her stomach turn with unease.

Surprisingly, a pretty pink blush appeared on Nashi's face to match her hair. They were stepping passed the threshold into the guild hall. A pause, then Nashi answered.

"It's because it looks like Mommy." They had almost made their way to Mira at this point, to proclaim their job complete and introduce their new little friend, though the three now stood stock-still, incapable of speech.

Natsu was staring at Nashi with a variety of emotions fighting to take control of his face.

Grey, not having seen the doll in detail, looked between his two friends with curiosity.

Erza thought of the keys.

Most shocking of all, though, was when a familiar man with light pointy hair scooped up the little girl into his arms and greeted her as an old friend.

"Nashi! Is that you? You've gotten so big!"

* * *

 **Hi guys! Thanks again for the feedback. All will be revealed in time. In the meantime, can anybody guess who? I'll be impressed if you do.**


	4. Having a Home

"Nashi! Is that you? You've gotten so big! This is so cool!"

Nashi squealed and threw her arms around Jason excitedly. He looked just like she remembered, with his golden hair pointed strangely toward the ceiling just like it used to do. Gray was the first to recover, though his response was not the most eloquent.

"Huh?"

"We're doing an article for Sorcerer Weekly," Mira explained Jason's presence, pulling her sister by her side and back into the limelight. Nashi's eyes went wide.

"I finally got Lisanna here to agree to a shoot with me, for old times' sake." As she finished speaking, her eyes roamed over the little girl. Mirajane had never seen her before. "Who's this?"

"That's it!" the little girl exclaimed before anyone could answer. "That's Mommy's magazine. I remember now." She looked proud of herself. Jason just smiled at her.

"So," he began, "Where's Lucy?"

All around them, the guild went on as usual, but the small group now fell silent. Lucy had been a sore subject among this group of friends in particular, ever since she didn't regroup with the guild after they disbanded. The number of years that passed since they'd last seen her did little to dull the pain, her absence an ever-present ache that they all learned to live with. Though they all had experience with loss, perhaps the worst part of it all was simply not knowing where she was, or what happened to her. Lucy simply slipped off the radar, and even the best Dragon Slayer in Fiore failed to track her down. He blamed himself the most.

After a moment, Lisanna took it upon herself to answer the reporter. She had liked Lucy a lot, but the two simply hadn't known each other as long or as well as their other guildmates because of her time spent in Edolas, and the Lucy she had known there had been significantly different. For this reason alone, it didn't hit her as hard when the blonde never came home.

She was perfectly straightforward as she answered him, not wanting to prolong the conversation any more than necessary.

"It's been years, we haven't seen her since the guild disbanded. Why do you ask?"

"Yeah, I thought she worked for you?" Mira cut in. She would know, as a past model.

"I just assumed she was with you, seeing Nashi and all. It took me months to convince Lucy to let me so much as hold her, the two were glued together. It's been a while since I've seen her, anyway. She's been working remotely for years. She was so excited to be an editor, and she was close to getting published, but then she switched to field work. I don't know why. She and I lost contact a couple of years ago." That proves it, then. Gray was the only member of team Natsu who had not put the pieces together already, but at this bit of news it clicked.

"Wait, you're telling me Nashi is Lucy's daughter?" his voice rose in surprise, drawing the attentions of some of the others standing nearby. At his outburst, Mira and Lisanna looked at the small newcomer with great interest. Natsu looked uncharacteristically faint.

"Didn't you know?" Jason asked casually, as if it ought to be common knowledge. Without waiting for a response, he said to the child, "Look at you, you've grown so much! I'm so glad you remember me, Nashi. This is so cool!" He lowered her back to the floor and turned back to the Strauss sisters to finalize their plans. Mira hid her look of disappointment well enough; she really wanted to get it over with and talk about—Nashi, was it? It wasn't long before they finished their business and he made for the exit, saying his goodbyes on the way. He'd be back in a couple of days.

Erza was kneeling next to Nashi when Mira finally abandoned her post at the bar, Lisanna close behind her. Grey was preoccupied, trying to get Natsu to say something, anything. He had some serious questions. It did not pass him that Nashi had pink hair, and now that he knew it was Lucy's daughter…

"Nashi, did you lie to me?" Erza asked of the girl, who was too genuinely distracted to understand what Erza was talking about. She didn't know why her Mommy was such a big deal to these people, but the appearance of her Mommy's old boss had her mind otherwise occupied.

"What do you mean?" In response, Erza put a hand to Nashi's chest, putting light pressure on the keys underneath the purple shirt. A look of dawning comprehension appeared on the little girl's face, quickly followed by a guilty one. She looked down at the floor, and her eyes filled with tears. She really did feel bad about lying to the person being so nice to her. Eventually, she nodded. She moved her hand slowly, but instead of taking out the keys from her shirt as Erza expected, Nashi lowered it to her boot, extracting a silver key that Erza had had no idea was there. Her next words were too quiet to hear, but as she extended her arm and held the key out in front of her, it was more than enough to do the trick.

A light appeared and faded with the sound of an old fashioned doorbell, leaving a very familiar figure in its place. Plue, sensing his summoner's distress, climbed onto her shoulders and snuggled her, offering her the comfort that only he could.

It was hard to believe, but here was indisputable proof. Nashi was Lucy's daughter. She had the same magic. She had the same keys. She must have inherited both from her mother.

Erza didn't know how to feel. Mira and Lisanna stood behind her and watched the event unfold, pleasantly surprised. Well, Nashi hadn't stolen the keys after all. That was a relief. Erza wiped a tear from her eye. Despite everything, the sight of the pink headed girl playing with Plue was a truly heartwarming scene. After so many years, it was as though a part of Lucy had returned to them. The cake carnage in Crocus now seemed like an absolute blessing.

Slowly but surely, other guild members trickle onto the scene with curious expressions on their faces. Elfman approached to see what had his sisters so occupied even after their interview had ended. Wendy came by with her boyfriend Romeo in tow to see how the mission went, and to offer her healing magic if necessary. At the sight of Plue, they all began to connect the dots. Wendy's eyes widened considerably. Cana approached to ask Mira for a refill and quickly followed suit. The guild gradually broke out in whispers, though some spoke clearly, looking for answers without regard for subtlety. Finally, someone approached the girl directly.

"Hello, I'm Levy. What's your name?" Nashi looked up after being addressed directly and studied the lady in front of her. She was one of the shorter girls in the guild, with light blue hair that was pushed away from her face by an orange headband, matching the rest of her outfit. She had warm brown eyes that looked curious and kind, and she served her words with a friendly smile. The child warmed to her instantly.

"Nashi," she said, much more confidently than when she had introduced herself to Erza.

"What brings you here, Nashi?" Levy asked sweetly. Erza had gone to speak to Master Makarov, and was no longer in front of her. She looked around before spotting Nastu and Gray fighting a few yards away. She pointed at them. "They did," she said. Levy turned to follow her gaze, as did the majority of the crowd, and Nashi gasped. That was the first time she noticed it. There, high on Levy's back on her shoulder blade, there was a symbol on the blue haired wizard that stood out to the child. Though it was white in color, and fairly larger, it was the same symbol from the back of Mommy's hand.

"That's Mommy's," she said loudly, accusingly. She did not know what it meant, but she had never seen it anywhere else. Until now, that is. Now that she had noticed it, it popped up all over the room. It was on posters and cups and she saw it on a bunch of the people too. She even noticed it on Natsu and Gray, now that she took a moment to really seek it out. How had she not noticed it earlier? It really was everywhere. Her look changed to one of awe as she took it all in. Levy turned back to her and lowered to her level. She began to explain.

"Nashi, this," she pointed to the symbol, "is Fairy Tail." It was a long story.

While most of the guild was distracted by Nashi, Gray had finally gotten Natsu to talk to him. The latter was off his game, so it was admittedly easier than it might have been a few days prior. Though he refused to talk about Nashi's circumstances right away, Natsu revealed what had been bothering him since they boarded the train. He needed to get it off his chest.

"Did you see that doll?" he asked Gray. Eager to finally converse, he answered immediately.

"Not really. It looks like Lucy, right?" Natsu nodded.

"It smells like her. No, it reeks of her. It's insane, I cant get it out of my head. That thing smells more like Lucy than her own kid!" Natsu growled in frustration. Gray wasn't sure what to say. His mind stalled, but he didn't want to lose this chance to talk. He paused, but it was brief.

"You think it could have anything to do with why she's missing?" One look at Natsu and he flinched. Okay, bad move. He backpedaled and decided to ask something else, though it was no less risky.

"Hey, Natsu. Did you…did you and Lucy ever—" he stopped short as Natsu abruptly turned away from him and began in the other direction.

"I'm going home," he said.

Weird. Gray had at least expected Natsu to try and punch him. He waited until the door shut behind Natsu before heading over to Juvia, who had joined the crowd. He put his arm around her in greeting before looking back at the little girl with renewed interest. He smiled as he saw her now, running in circles with Storm. Juvia must have brought him over. It was a good call.

He felt her snuggle closer in toward his chest and smiled.

After telling Nashi all about Lucy's part in Fairy Tail, Levy had introduced her to Gale. They were happy to meet, but the younger girl had tired quickly, and so Levy brought her back to her home for a nap, Gajeel joining them. They left discussing the likelihood that Nashi was not only Lucy's, but Natsu's as well, wondering how this was going to affect him and the guild. Shortly after they left, little Nashi was introduced to Storm, whom she was delighted to learn was just a shy of a year younger than herself.

It went without saying, but the guild welcomed Nashi with open arms and happy hearts, all delighted to have Lucy's daughter in their ranks. Surely, without a doubt, Lucy would surely follow. Makarov himself was absolutely elated to meet the little girl. Like many others, he had his suspicions on the father's identity, especially once he noticed his absence from the guild hall. No matter, he was as charmed as everyone who had met the girl before him, and made to give Nashi an introduction that she would remember for the rest of her life, not unlike the one he gave to her mother all those years ago. No one would dare to mention it, but the old man definitely had tears shining in his eyes.

Everyone was ecstatic. There was nothing more to say. The excitement would die down soon enough to make way for the speculation that would follow, but that all could wait for tomorrow. Today was a day for celebration, for cheers.

* * *

Erza was almost done carrying out her responsibilities for the night. She had already told Master about how she came to discover and find out about Nashi, her gate keys, and her celestial magic. She told him of her suspicions about Natsu, their resemblance, and the strange Lucy doll that had been bothering him. Of course, she did not yet know about the smell, so that remained a secret between Natsu and Gray. Laxus had given Erza one last job to do after she finished informing him, one he expected to be quick, knowing that she of all people would be able to handle it. He also requested that upon her return, Erza would collect Nashi and bring her to Fairy Hills. It would be a burden to send Nashi home with people like Gray or Levy, as they both had young children of their own. Even Bisca and Alzack had their hands full with Asuka, who was undergoing her tween phase. Add that to a house full of guns, and it was not the best space for an outside-child. The girls in Fairy Hills would figure out what to do, Erza agreed. But first things first. She had excused herself from the building as Master Laxus and Makarov went to meet and greet Nashi, and eventually arrived at the entrance to the forest. Taking a steadying breath for the conversation to come, she began up the familiar path through the trees.

She found him sitting outside. Happy was sleeping in his lap. Though sudden, her voice didn't startle him. He had expected someone, sooner or later, and his excellent senses didn't disappoint. Of course he'd heard her coming.

"Natsu, did you ever tell Lucy how you felt about her?"

A slight blush developed on his face, but neither acknowledged it. After a moment of silence he answered her question with another.

"Why do you ask?" Erza took a deep breath and watched her friend. He looked clearly upset, like a cloud of torment was hanging over him and he could not outrun it.

"She's almost seven years old, Natsu." Oh. That. He'd thought about that. "And Lucy wasn't the type of girl who'd sleep around. You two were close." He'd left anyway. It was a year of training. He needed it. He had had no idea that the guild would disband with him gone. How could he?

He'd had no idea…

"She looks like you." Wrong. She has her eyes. Lucy's eyes. Natsu couldn't look at Erza. He turned to face the woods. His old friend spoke only once more.

"I need to know, Natsu. Is that possible?"

His nod was almost imperceptible, but it was there. And so it was.

He remembered it clearly.

Lucy and Natsu had spent one night together. It was just after Tartaros. They had both lost someone very dear to them in the battle, and had relished in the fact that they still had each other. Natsu had lost Igneel, and in the most brutal way possible. Years of searching for his father, and he had to watch him die, get killed, right after his return. They'd had no time. They didn't even get to say goodbye. Not the the other dragons and slayers. It was taking it's toll. And he wasn't aware of the fact, but Lucy had lost someone too. The last of her original family, and the oldest friend that she'd ever known. They had their ups and downs, but they had loved each other, and Lucy would have to live with the fact that she had been the one to condemn Aquarius to her fate, without even knowing what it was. She could only hope that she had been told the truth; that Aquarius was safe and sound, just separated from her. There was no guarantee though, and mere hope could not numb the pain. Both Natsu and Lucy saved many lives with their sacrifices, and for that they were also indebted. Their victory had not felt like a victory, and so they had retired from the party to her apartment for some peace and quiet and familiarity.

The truth of it was, Lucy had almost lost Natsu for good. Her sacrifice had saved his life, and she needed to reassure herself that he was still with her. Natsu himself was seeking to fill the hole in his heart. Neither were completely aware of their feelings for the other, but were driven together by pure instinct and heartbreak, and their love for each other, whether it be platonic or romantic, was very real.

As he laid with her that night, he felt protective of her. He needed to be able to protect her. Yet after the battle, he felt inadequate, incapable of doing just that. He had relied on Igneel, and Igneel had died as a result. Not to mention, he had already seen Lucy dead in front of him once before, and that was more than enough. It was with these thoughts that he resolved to leave and train for a year, to be stronger for the people he cared about.

They were on her bed. Lucy was asleep in his arms, a troubled look on her face. His heart restricted. How did he feel about her? The draw to stay with her was unbelievably strong, too strong. He had to leave. Now. Before his resolve could fade. And he did, but it was no easy feat. He left her with a letter, unable to face her, collected Happy, and disappeared into the night.

Lucy was left behind.

The following day, she read his letter and cried. Did he have any idea what this would do to her? Did he care? She was hurt and she was numb, but after a few hours had the sense to seek comfort from her guild mates. Her heartache was bigger than Natsu. Everyone was mourning. They would support each other. She would tell them about Aquarius, and they would comfort her. She would ask Scorpio how Aquarius was doing, once she gathered the courage.

In truth, she was afraid to summon her spirits. Her guilt was destroying her, and she couldn't help but feel as though she had severely damaged the bond built by trust between herself and her spirits. She was terrified of this potential reality. It would be a while until she could face them properly. But at least, until then, she had her guild, right? Fairy Tail. That was her family. They would get through this. That's what she had thought.

When the guild disbanded, everything changed. Staying in Magnolia became too painful, so when Jason of Sorcerer Weekly offered her a job, Lucy couldn't refuse. The blonde bombshell moved to Crocus to work as a regular model, until she got up her nerve and asked Jason for a chance to work in the writing department. She was surprised and delighted when he agreed to give her a shot, and things moved quickly from there.

It was a few months before Lucy discovered she was pregnant, and she wasn't sure how she felt. She settled for feeling shocked that it had taken this long to find out, because that hurt the least. She knew whose it was, of course. She had only ever slept with him. He had broken her heart.

The medics told her that her distress and grief had altered her body's natural inclinations with her pregnancy, and that was why the symptoms were off. It was hardly unheard of, though perhaps inconvenient. She was told to be more conscious of her habits, as it could affect the baby. Lucy had admittedly been neglecting her health since it all happened.

When her situation was initially revealed, it came to Lucy as a much needed slap in the face, as she was finally forced to come to terms with her life and herself. She was underfed and hardly slept, chased by nightmares whenever she tried. But willing as she might have been to ignore her own needs, Lucy was not a selfish person, and would not subject an innocent baby to her own personal mistreatment. In the end, Nashi was one of the best things that could have happened to her. Thanks to Nashi, Lucy started taking better care of herself again, and it was noticeable. Her skin returned to a healthy shade, her eyes grew bright again, and she got her weight back to normal. Soon she was even healthy enough to start training again, though it was mostly meditation, and she saw her spirits for the first time in a while. As it turned out, they were all worried about her. Despite her job, she had been so out of sorts that keeping even a silver gate open had become a burden on her body, and now she was back to having two zodiac members out at a time. Though he kept his suspicions to himself, Jason believed that Nashi saved Lucy's life, and the whole office was genuinely happy for her. They all showed up at the hospital when the baby was born bearing balloons and all sorts of gifts to ease her burden.

It was a beautiful baby girl. Once she started working again, Lucy would bring her to work every now and again, and all of her coworkers fell in love. They were charmed by her sweet face and personality, and her silly pink hair. Nashi may have lost Lucy's family before she had a chance to know them, but through the staff of Sorcerer Weekly, she got to start a new one.

About two months later, Loke gave Lucy the most fantastic news. It had been a year, now. Aquarius' key had finally been reborn in the world. It was her job to find it now, before somebody else did. He gave her only one hint: Look near water.

Jason gave Lucy permission to work remotely after that. With his blessing, she picked up almost immediately. A mother and her toddler out on a quest to find one of her most important friends. She would be gone first for days, weeks, then months at a time. Her last trip lasted just over a year. Nashi grew up on a life of adventure, and she loved it. She got to see the world and experience it up close and personal in a way that young Lucy never could, and Lucy's heart grew light with hope and opportunity for a bright new future. Eventually she stopped working for the magazine altogether, and would search in such remote places that no one would know where she'd been. Even so, the two had a goal. They were together, and they were happy.

It was because of her sporadic schedule that Natsu was never able to find her. Having been gone for a year, he hadn't known that she worked at the magazine, and so he never searched for answers there. Nashi and Lucy had never been a secret, after all. He was just never able to find them. He'd had no idea he had a daughter.

And now that he did, it was tearing him up inside. He had left to train so that he could protect Lucy, and he couldn't help but blame himself for her disappearance. If he had stayed, if he had been there with her, she may have never left Magnolia, and even if she had, he would have followed her. All he knew was that Lucy had left after the guild disbanded, and now, seven years later, she's missing. Natsu could only imagine what kind of danger she was in. Knowing Lucy, she would never just abandon a child, especially her own. She was in some kind of danger, no question about it. _He could have prevented it_.

And now that doll, that _stupid_ doll, was taunting him. Literally attached at his daughter's hip.

His daughter, Nashi. There was really no denying it.

It was pure torment.

* * *

 **So a few of you guys got it! Yep! Jason, with his weird pointy hair. But who am I to judge? Some mornings, my hair does pretty incredible things. Gravity defying, truly. Anywho, longer chapter today :)** **I want to get into the habit of writing longer chapters, its a work in progress.**

 **Thanks so much to everybody favoriting and following this story. It's unbelievable that it's at so many and it means so much to me. Remember, I love to hear what you have to say. Until next time!**

 **Later,**

 **Me**


	5. Stories Among Sisters

Fairy Hills was never known to be a quiet place to any who had ever come to encounter it, and those who lived inside would never claim otherwise, but it was especially boisterous that night. The arrival of Nashi had lit a fuse of bubbly energy and hope, and the sisters of Fairy Tail spared nothing as they prepared for her stay. Though the tenancy of Erza Scarlet typically inspired a certain neatness among the other occupants in the complex, the floor was littered with blankets and pillows, casually kicked aside as the girls rushed and scattered between rooms.

Nashi was the perfect excuse for a long overdue all-girl sleepover, and though Fairy Hills no longer housed all of the mages that it used to, their energy certainly remained. Juvia, for instance, had left to live with her beloved Gray. Over their year in disbandment, the two had stuck together and developed an easy dynamic between them. Out of the public eye, the two had grown closer than ever in record time. Gray had learned to let down his guard, and his embarrassment over her fawning antics had simmered enough for him to realize his own foolishness in dismissing her. In turn, having him to herself, Juvia had calmed down significantly, and her attitude as perceived by Gray changed from overbearing to endearing before anyone could call them out. Though they did not break in their training, always aiming to be their best selves, they allowed themselves to genuinely love one another, and once Storm was born, there was really no reason for Gray and Juvia to separate. It only seemed natural that the two rejoined Fairy Tail together, this time in a house all their own.

Evergreen followed suit, leaving only two years afterwards. She had been ecstatic when Elfman proposed at last, and promptly moved in with her fiancé without a second thought. Levy too had graduated from her time at Fairy Hills and moved in with Gajeel after their wedding, but now she left their two-year-old daughter back home with her husband as she rejoined her old housemates for the night in order to better know Nashi, maybe even find out about Lu. The blue-haired brainiac smiled brightly as she carried in a large bowl of strawberries from the kitchen for everyone to munch on while Erza's cake finished baking in the oven. Slacking on her duties, Cana was teasing Wendy for believing that she would offer alcohol to a kid, ignoring Carla's reprimands on her behavior, and Wendy was stuttering her own defense in vain. Lisanna watched Nashi as she stood on the perpetual drunk's other side, drinking Cana's faux beer—apple juice—straight from the tinted glass bottle, completely oblivious to the situation. It was a rather funny scene. Her thoughts drifted as she remembered how it all started.

It was earlier that night, after Erza's return from Natsu's house. The girl in armor had wasted no time in collecting Nashi from where she had been sitting in a booth with Romeo as he pridefully showed her his wide array of fires, literally snatching the child away as she announced an impromptu meeting for all females of Fairy Hills present and prior, to be held in precisely one hour. It would be held in their common space, across from the kitchen, and allowed them plenty of time to get Lucy's daughter settled and into her pajamas; at least, Erza figured as much.

When the Master had earlier in his office requested that Nashi live, if only temporarily, in Fairy Hills, Erza immediately assumed that they would room together. Secretly, she had been looking forward to it for the past few hours. She liked the girl, and she saw a lot of magical potential in her, and with Natsu currently out of sorts it was only logical that Nashi be left in her care. While the redhead was certainly competent and capable, it didn't take long to find the one major flaw in her plans.

She had plenty of living space, more than any other in their building, and it was plenty well-equipped. Just not equipped for a little girl. There were dangerous weapons at every corner, and her collection of armor were no better suited when it came to childcare. Despite her desires, Erza's rooms were simply not child-friendly, and after much deliberation she'd had to accept that there was no way out of this dilemma; the sacrifices that would have to be made were simply too high. At the end of the day, Nashi was a six year old girl who would favor keys over swords on any day of the week.

The next logical resident that seemed suitable to Erza was Wendy. Despite the fact that the girl was barely twenty years old, she was mighty and responsible, and had Carla as an added bonus, who had already raised one child successfully. With this is mind, Erza resolved to find the young dragon slayer amongst the flurry of females in Fairy Hills. The women had indeed heeded to the Fairy Queen's demands to meet with enthusiasm, so the halls were crowded, but she managed to track down the girl she was looking for without much time lost, getting straight to the point.

"Wendy," She called, causing the girl to drop the blankets she was holding in surprise, and stumble on them as she spun around to respond. She greeted Erza with a slightly sheepish smile.

"Hi, Erza. Do you need some help?" Wendy asked as she made her way over. Best not to keep her friend waiting, right? The redhead responded in a resigned voice, though not without it's usual strength.

"I've come to realize I am unfit to host Nashi, nor are any of my rooms," She said. It occurred to Wendy upon further inspection that the other girl was looking a bit disheartened. She must have really been looking forward to it. That wasn't surprising though; Nashi was special.

"I was hoping you could take her in for a while." It wasn't quite a question, but it wasn't a demand either. Erzza knew it was a lot to ask. Indeed, Wendy wanted to know Nashi just as everyone else did, but she was barely twenty years old, herself. What did she know of handling a kid? She had always been the youngest, and she only regularly interacted with one person in that age range. Truthfully, she didn't understand how Gray and Juvia managed their Storm, wild as he tended to get. If Nashi was _anything_ like him, she wouldn't stand a chance. She said as much.

"I… I'm sorry Erza," She said, then lowering her eyes to the girl who just appeared beside her. "You too, Nashi. I just— I don't think I could handle that kind of responsibility. I mean," she raised her eyes back to Erza as she continued. "If she gets hurt I'd be glad to help, but I'm no Carla." Unfortunately Carla and Wendy were a package deal, so that was officially out. There was a long pause before either spoke up again.

"I suppose I could ask Cana," Erza mused, eyes raking the room for the brunette before she found her, lingering by the barrel of beer. In the past years, she had grown more responsible, though not any less of a drunk. She had excellent power and judgement, and any gambles she made were always spot on. At the very least, the woman was reliable.

Cana, however, was not interested in raising a kid at the moment. She wasn't eager to change her current lifestyle just yet. And so it was, upon hearing her name, Cana smiled wickedly and called Nashi over without turning to face them. _Oh no you don't_ , she thought to herself. Nashi ran over to her, smiling. Erza and Wendy both froze as they watched their beloved drunk Cana hand over a brown glass bottle to the girl in pink ponytails, saying cheers and encouraging the young girl to drink up, which she did.

Unbeknownst to the other women in the room, it only held apple juice, but Cana decided it was worthwhile when she saw the expression on Wendy's face. Ah, the healer girl was as gullible as ever. In any event, Cana had officially deemed herself way too irresponsible in their eyes, claiming that her father Gildarts had been a horrible role model on that front, and she was in no way qualified for the job which Erza had been about to request of her.

In the end, Lisanna volunteered. It was mostly because of Mira, who was currently visiting for the welcome party. Lisanna was the best equipped to deal with Nashi. She had the space, a normal bedroom, and she could turn into cute, fuzzy animals for goodness' sake. She really was perfect for the job. It felt a bit awkward to volunteer, having never gotten close to Lucy. And it just had to be Natsu's kid too, just look at her! Nashi was a perfect combination of her parents. Becoming the girl's primary caretaker felt wrong to Lisanna. No doubt people would tease her about the old days of her friendship with Natsu, and the last thing she wanted to do was replace Lucy and be wedged into her position. It was just so extraordinarily awkward, and impossibly unbearable to think about.

But she loved Mira, and Mira had loved Lucy. She could just tell. Lisanna was under the impression that if no one in Fairy Hills made the cut, then Mira would insist on taking her back to her own home instead, but that could potentially strain her relationship with Laxus, and that was an unnecessary burden. The youngest Strauss sibling absolutely could not bring herself to cause that.

And Nashi seemed sweet. Sweet like her mother had always been to her. How bad could it be, really? And Natsu, though wild, had always been a good kid. That's why she had loved him so much. Nashi was so pretty, too. Adorable. They could do each other's hair, play dress up…

So she volunteered, and she was chosen, approved—not that there was heavy competition. The grin on Mira's face made it immediately worthwhile. No matter what happened. That's how much Lisanna loved her family.

After that matter was settled, it didn't take long before all of the girls who had known Lucy settled into their newly erected blanket fortress in the lounge. There were a few new guild members living there too, poking their heads in curiously, but none had any connection to either the pink haired little girl or her missing mother, and so kept to themselves for the night. Nashi sat herself between Cana and Mira, keeping her doll in her lap much in the same way that Carla sat in Wendy's. They were each munching on Erza's cake and laughing and bonding over old stories of their times with Lucy. Levy was unusually lively for the hour, incorporating her solid script magic into her storytelling to add emphasis and atmosphere, which gradually led to all of the girls doing an impressive showcase of their magic. In short, Nashi was amazed. Awed. Wonderstruck. She could go through an entire thesaurus and still not find enough words to express how she felt. She had lived her short life chock full of wild, fun adventures with her mother, and while she had never been a stranger to great magic, she had only ever truly known one kind. Everything that she saw now was foreign and fabulous and enticing, and even Mira's demon takeover charmed her. Nashi wanted to contribute. She wanted to share her magic as a part of the spectacle, to be included, and to reaffirm that she, at six years old, could belong to a family as magnificent as Fairy Tail.

She wanted to be at her most impressive. She thought about calling out Virgo, her most impressive feat to date, but wanted to keep up her energy; the night was not about to end any time soon! After just a moment, Nashi decided on opening the gate of the Lyre, Lyra, to sing a song for her new friends. Her excitement had her so energetic that she was finished turning the key in the air before anyone realized what was going on.

The sound of a doorbell is what clued them in, followed by a bright, bright light. For a second, it lit the room. Then, in it's place, a familiar spirit took form.

The music was as beautiful as ever. Beyond words, really. It set the girls to a state of calm peace, and they all swayed as they listened to an old favorite, one that Lucy had Lyra sing for them in the old days. Smiles littered their faces.

Lyra herself was overcome with a rush of emotions, many of which she could not name. She had been attached to Nashi for quite some time, having been one of the first keys that the little kid could summon, and had become contracted to sing for her instead of Lucy, so she was less tuned in to Lucy's situation than the other spirits. Seeing all of the familiar faces when she was summoned just now hit her very hard. She had a lot to report back home when she returned to the spirit world.

After a round of songs, the girls bid the spirit farewell for the night and showered Nashi with complements. Flattered, appreciative, and running on a high from their praise, Nashi did not hesitate to pull out the rest of her keys and pass them around. All eight, she thought proudly.

 _My Mom was the best_.

"Wait," Levy's confused voice broke through the excited whispers of the crowd. "Where's Aquarius?"

 _Who?_ Nashi was taken aback. Were these not enough? All of the older girls now sported worried looks on their faces. Did she… Did she do something wrong?

"Hey," another voice popped out. This one belonged to Mirajane. "I can't find Loke either."

The pink haired girl perked up at this. Loke! Did they mean Uncle Loke?

As the girls were busy putting all of the keys together, franticly thinking they've misplaced them while passing around and rechecking the designs, Nashi spoke out.

"Do you mean uncle Loke?" Cana sniggered at this, thinking of how she would tease him about that title. Uncle, huh? Erza, on the other hand, had the sense to ask Nashi for details.

"What's your Uncle Loke like?"

"He was one of Mommy's spirits, he was really strong, and he had ears, like you!" Nashi pointed at Lisanna excitedly, who quickly reverted back to her normal human form after being called out on her transformation, still in place from their grand magic display.

Under their gazes, Nashi began to realize what the problem was. Or rather, why they were looking for him.

"He was with Mommy when she left," Nashi explained. almost automatically, her arms drew around the doll in her lap and pulled it close to her chest in a tight one-sided embrace.

As if someone flipped a switch, everyone watched as the energetic light left her face and the little girl averted her eyes, practically deflating before them.

A slight feeling of guilt settled among the young women now, having finally emotionally and physically exhausted the child with their late night magic party. It was a sour topic that they were on now.

For one, curiosity outweighed tact.

"What about Aquarius?"

In response, the youngest girl scrunched up her eyebrows, confused. Nashi had never known that key, and she told them so. Concerned whispers slowly but surely overtook the room, and quick theories were shared, mostly revolving around the idea that the water bearer, too, accompanied Lucy to wherever she was now. It made sense, and also offered a strange comfort to those who considered it. The idea that Lucy was accompanied by not one, but two powerhouses of the zodiac, both of whom cared for her deeply. It was reassuring.

The girls were really very curious on why it was that Nashi didn't know Aquarius. Maybe she'd called her something different? But no, Nashi would have to have heard Lucy summon her clearly, so… Why?

Nashi grew so visibly frustrated that she didn't have the answers, feeling inadequate, that the girls of the guild all changed the topic after that. Carla smacked at Wendy for her insensitivity, and Cana made a crack at her, referring back to the alcohol incident, and lo and behold, giggles filled the night once again as if nothing had happened at all.

At the close of the night, Nashi is led to her new room, one hand in Lisanna's, Mira grasping onto the other. On the way up, the two shapeshifting sisters tell her personal stories about their childhood antics with Elfman, and continue to do so to help her fall asleep. Sweet little Nashi confesses to being jealous in her tired state.

She was tired, true. It had been one of the longest days of her life, and just one from an even longer week. She was so tired that the events of the night all swirled together, making one vague happy memory in her mind and heart. But despite her sleepy haze, Nashi distinctly remembered what Mira and Lisanna promised her, when she proclaimed her jealousy.

"It's always been Mommy and me," she'd confided what they already suspected. "But I never got a sister…" Mira looked lovingly over at her dearest little sister, who had blushed under the gaze. Their family was tight knit, they were all they had, and valued each other tremendously. They made each other feel safe and loved and happy. The guild was family for sure, but nothing was quite like having an older sister who would always, always protect her.

"I'll be your sister," Lisanna surprised herself by saying. "If you'll be mine. I've always wanted a younger sister, too."

Nashi fell asleep with a smile on her face.

Some of her family was missing, but tonight her family grew.

* * *

 **Hi all! I'm so so sorry this took so long, I had my phone stolen while I was in Ecuador and I had a lot of this story on there, so it was kind of a blow to lose it all. Luckily I remembered a lot. Also, I drew some of the later scenes that are coming up, but I don't want to spoil anything, so those'll have to wait.**

 **But yeah, I went to Ecuador to volunteer with some animals in the Amazon and it was amazing!**

 **Anyway, thanks for sticking around. Updates should be more frequent again here on out, though I do have a wacky work schedule, so I won't guarantee an organized update schedule. Love your feedback!**


	6. A New Igneel

A full week had passed since Nashi first arrived at Fairy Tail, and she was no closer to finding her mommy than she had been when she was on her own. Though she enjoyed being a part of the guild and learning about her mother in her younger days, loneliness followed her, growing stronger with every day. The change was subtle, but she was closing herself off, save for only a few members of the guild.

Among her close friends were those who found her, though an angry, irrational part of her heart was beginning to blame Erza for the lack of progress, because she took Nashi farther away. In an unexpected twist, she was actually most comfortable with the Fullbuster family, though whether it be because of Gray's parental demeanor or Storm's company was uncertain. She had very much liked Levy in the beginning, but had shied away from the solid script mage after a while, needing some distance from the constant inquiries about her mommy. She was nice, and only trying to help, and the mature, reasonable side of Nashi knew this.

But Nashi was still six years old. Maturity and reason only lasted for so long.

She was growing especially close to Lisanna, surprising most members of the guild. Mira was ecstatic at the development, and was a close second to her sister, being experienced in caring for younger members as she was. Often, Nashi was reluctant to stray too far from the takeover mages, and Storm would have to take the initiative and seek her out to play.

The girls had grown very attached in their time together, and though part of Lisanna was still reluctant, she had been completely charmed. She absolutely adored little Nashi, who treated her as sweetly and openly as Lucy had.

Then there was Natsu.

Nashi couldn't name how she felt about him, her emotions were just too conflicting. His presence was disconcerting because of how differently he acted around her, compared to the rest of the guild. And how he reacted to her doll, and talk of her mother… It was almost too strange. His sharp gaze, when directed at her, made her feel uneasy, though she had no idea why. It was like he knew her, but she was certain that they had never met, and she found herself actually wanting to speak with him, but each time shying away.

Two nights ago, after an encouraging speech from her new big sister before bed, she had resolved to approach him, despite her inexplicable fear. It was just her luck that he had not appeared in the Guild hall since then. She had even asked Master (well, had Lisanna ask) where Natsu was, and after gazing at Nashi with a look that Lisanna recognized as pity, Laxus told her that the dragon slayer she spoke of was on a job.

Natsu felt terrible.

Quite literally, as he was on a train back to Crocus. He supposed this was what he deserved for what he couldn't help blaming himself for. Leaving Lucy, missing out on Nashi. He was feeling more conflicted than he'd ever felt before. On one hand, he had a daughter. A daughter! He could barely wrap his mind around the idea. But it was so much more than an idea, it was real, Nashi was real, and she had stood right in front of him on multiple occasions.

Natsu groaned, and Happy, who sat beside him, looked over with concern. The blue exceed had long since run out of comforting words for his partner, and though he himself wanted to get to know Nashi, Natsu needed someone at his side. The whole situation had even driven a wedge of sorts between Happy and Carla, as she spent so much of her time around the new child in their guild. He forced himself to keep his distance, though his resolve was crumbling. He wanted to help Natsu so badly, but he just didn't know how.

Both boys were agonizing.

After having played with the idea for a few days and consulting with Gramps and Laxus, Natsu now intended to take a train to Crocus, search around, and maybe even continue on to Malba, where Nashi claimed to have traveled from. He was determined to find something, anything, that Nashi may have overlooked in the time between Lucy's disappearance and their fateful meeting outside the restaurant by the royal city.

He managed to find Lucy's old address quickly enough. Though Jason hadn't been there, the people in the editing office for the Sorcerer Weekly magazine recognized him immediately from their many Fairy Tail articles over the years, and were more than helpful, though they did ask a few more questions than he would have liked regarding her. They managed to dig up Lucy's old information in the records from when she had first started working for the company in their department, and he was off after only four hours since he first arrived in the big city.

Natsu stood in front of her building and took a moment to admire it. The small building was surrounded by different colors, the flora even growing to cover the sides of the house due to neglect. With a pang, it reminded him of her enthusiasm for bright and colorful nature like this, particularly the time he brought her the biggest and brightest tree in Magnolia, only so that she wouldn't miss the rainbow blossom's festival. She had been so happy then.

Before he could dwell, he strolled right on into the apartment, lighting a fire in his palm to see by.

In a way, it reminded him of her old apartment back home, organized as it was, with a large wooden writing desk and a nice bed tucked away in the next room over. The entirety of the left wall was lined with bookshelves, and her bathroom housed a large bathtub, in which he was certain she had wasted an unreasonably high amount of time. Her kitchen, much to his disappointment, was mostly barren, any food left in the fridge rotten, but that was hardly surprising.

What _was_ surprising were the toys that littered the floor, mostly pushed out of the way towards the far right wall. there was an old crib across from her bed in the bedroom, and he took a moment to acknowledge that her bed, which he had only seen from a distance before, was actually rather large for one person, and one side held a blanket that was completely out of Lucy's style, not to mention small. Upon further inspection, he noticed children books mixed into the large bookshelves, and basic educational books as well. Spaces on the wall were covered by various drawings and poems by both mother and daughter. After digging up some candles so as to free up his hand, Natsu let his curiosity take over, desperate to catch up on the lives that were lived without him. As usual, he had absolutely no regard for personal space, privacy, or any limitations of the sort, and practically pulled the rooms apart in his quest to learn more about his girls, and potentially even a clue on where to find her. Lucy. That is what he came for, after all.

They were one of the last things he found, very well hidden. He had to commend her for that.

They were stashed in a secret cupboard in the wall behind the center bookcase. Someone would have to move everything else out of the way first, and remove all of the books as well. No one in their right mind would bother.

He did all of that, of course.

Almost expecting to find her savings or treasures, or maybe even photos of Natsu and Lucy together with their family, he was momentarily stunned at what he saw.

It wasn't jewel in the cupboard, and it wasn't treasure. It wasn't even pictures, though it was a sort of collection of memories.

It was a box. It was a box filled with hundreds, _hundreds_ of letters, all addressed to her deceased mother, Layla Heartfilia.

A long, long time ago he had learned through his snooping that she wrote letters to her mother, treating them as a sort of diary. She must have written one at least every couple of days she'd been gone.

Over a thousand letters, documenting everything she'd been doing, thinking, and feeling since she's been gone.

Natsu was understandably conflicted. He wanted to read her letters so badly, more than almost anything, but finding Lucy was his priority. He'd read the most recent, he decided. To know where she was. What she was doing. He'll read the most recent one.

 _Dear Mother,_

 _Every day Nashi is getting bigger, and she's learning very fast. She's smart and she's brave, just like you. I've decided that we're ready to branch farther out from Crocus, even with her skills the way they are. I'm going to be brave, too. I love you. I promise we'll visit soon._

 _Love, Lucy._

It was a short letter, and it didn't tell him much more than that she had left. He could only assume that they had gone to Malba from what Nashi had told them. He'd read another letter. Just to be safe, to be sure. He picked one out a few days farther back. Thankfully, they were organized by date; leave it to Lucy.

 _Dear Mother,_

 _We've just returned, and I'm getting a bit hopeless. It's strange. A part of me feels almost more confident than I've been. As you know, I've been narrowing my search down with every endeavor, and Nashi always seems to love to travel. I'm running out of places to search in this region of Fiore, and I'm afraid to take Nashi much farther from home than I've been recently. She's still young, and while her magic is impressive, the large physical load of exercise we spend every day weighs heavily on her. Now that she uses her magic more regularly, she tires much faster than she used to, and I know we're going to have to stall our search soon so that I can teach her properly, or else I fear we'll never get past Fiore in our searches. I'm afraid to take a bigger burden than I can carry. I'm afraid to miscalculate. Nashi is my most precious thing in the world. I can't endanger her. We're going to rest up and go out again in two days, to search the last potential spot in the region, just a series of creeks around a larger lake. You never know, right? I suppose we'll see what goes._

 _On the up side, we've both really improved our swimming._

 _Wish you were here. Send us your love._

 _Love, Lucy_

Natsu grabbed out another letter. Context, he needed context.

Context, as an excuse, slowly transformed into figuring out where she'd already been, to cross off of his list on where to search for her. His excuses for reading her private letters lined up, and as the night grew darker he remained in his spot, the pile of read letters growing on the floor. Sucked into the story, he continued to read backwards, as if watching a movie on rewind. He fell asleep in his spot in the early hours of the morning, completely oblivious to the roaring of his stomach. Natsu dreamed of his best friend's adventures, which she wrote of in detail, something he greatly appreciated. He was officially addicted to her stories, and noted in the back of his mind that Lucy, once he found her again, was going to be one fabulous author.

After a measly four hours of sleep, he woke up again, and read until nightfall. The notoriously hungry dragon slayer ate only the canned unperishables in her bottom cabinet in the kitchen, and then fell asleep once more.

The next day, the letters changed.

It was a gradual change. At first, it was subtle, so he hardly noticed, but then it became clear that her changing tone came from intense internal conflict. It was when she found out about her pregnancy. Because he was reading backwards, it became the beginning of her downfall, and only got worse from there. Her letters became almost painful to read, the words coming at him directly from her aching, breaking heart. Natsu found himself taking frequent breaks at this point. He took cat naps to avoid falling into another deep sleep.

He was now too afraid to dream, to see it with his own two eyes. To believe it was real.

Natsu had picked up on a few things over the course of her letters. Lucy was looking for Aquarius, she was teaching Nashi Celestial magic, but Nashi had trouble with the gold keys. Lucy suspected that it was because they were always adventuring and exerting energy, so young Nashi didn't have enough power to spare for the spirits of the zodiac. He learned that the spirits loved Nashi, and he read how Lucy reacted to the color of her hair when it finally started to grow.

Pink, like his. Apparently, it had made her happy.

Then Natsu read about when she discovered her pregnancy, months in. How the doctors told her that her depression was affecting her symptoms.

Her depression that he had helped cause, his mind had added.

He read of her supportive co-workers, and yet with every passing letter her tone grew more bleak. She seemed unable to recognize any positive thing that would happen to her. She was ill, in more ways than one.

Happy had long-since stopped reading the letters. He stopped just after it was written that Nashi was born. He saw Natsu's reaction to the open letters he read, and Happy decided that he'd rather not follow suit. Curiosity killed the cat, after all. He had taken to just watching his partner.

The next morning, Natsu finally found out what happened to Aquarius. That Lucy had to sacrifice her oldest remaining friend, her last strong connection to her old life. Her mother was dead for years, and her father died with no closure. And Aquarius, who had so often expressed her distaste for Lucy, had secretly loved her so much that only her sacrifice would suffice. She thought they would never see each other again. Together, the Celestial mage and spirit saved not just him, but everyone. It had been amazing, spectacular, and none of the guild nor the city knew the price of their saved lives.

He read of her feelings for him. Their night together. Her words had been brief, but powerful. She had loved him back, after all.

What ever was left of his heart then shattered. There were no more letters to read. He could not sleep at all, but he could no more talk to Happy or leave for food. His body felt as though it were frozen stiff, and it was all he could do to keep breathing.

Natsu remained still, seated in her chair in her old dusty, dusky, and abandoned home, and stared at a wall until night fell, leaving only darkness.

* * *

Though he couldn't pinpoint when, exactly, his shift had transpired, Natsu woke the next morning under the covers of Lucy's bed. As the moon had grown clearer in the sky outside during the night, Natsu's feet had brought him to her bedroom, where he clutched her pillows closely to him in depression and desperation. With all of her words floating around in his brain, he needed her, even just the scent of her, to ease his thoughts. It was crucial.

The pillow smelled bland and dusty. The whole room did. The whole house. For the first time in a long time, the pink haired dragon slayer craved the smell he'd been avoiding. He wanted Nashi near. He wanted that damned doll.

Anything.

It was not yet light out as the morning was still new, and Natsu only woke with a start, mayhem in his wake. Though he had only been asleep for a couple of hours, he had been immersed in another nightmare of Lucy's past, and the chaos of the dream had him in battle mode even in his subconscious, as he seemed to have burned a hole in her bed, right through the middle. Well, it's not like she was using it anyway. She won't be coming back here.

Natsu vowed to find Lucy, and when he did, he wasn't going to let her go. He was going to bring her straight to Fairy Tail, straight home. So what if she didn't have an apartment? She could stay with him.

Her and Nashi and himself and Happy, all living together. A ghost of a smile passed over his face at the thought, but actually moving those muscles would require him to expel energy that he simply did not have. After a while, his utter physical and emotional exhaustion lured him to sleep once more. This time, he woke not an hour later from half-falling into the very same hole he had burned into the bed. It was an uncomfortable position, certainly, but it was actually the loose floorboard underneath the bed that was poking into his side that woke him. Opening his eyes, he groaned and moved to rub at the spot, but as he shifted, so did the board, revealing a very ornate box with an opened lock beneath it.

A hidden compartment underneath her floor, under her bed? Talk about overkill, Lucy. But then Natsu wondered: what could be so important?

The boy felt his stomach roll in an unpleasant sensation as he opened the box to reveal more letters. he traced over them with his finger, gently feeling the paper folds. In truth, Natsu did not believe himself capable of stomaching even one more letter, but as he pulled one out, everything changed.

On the parchment, written in shaky blue ink were five simple letters that flipped his heart.

Natsu, it read. This was a letter for him.

 _Natsu,_

 _It's been a while,_

And then nothing. He stared at the spot she had left off, incapable of shifting his eyes from the comma at the end of the phrase. That's it? No way. That can't be it. Without thinking, he took another. The letters of his name appeared firmer here, as though she had taken much care to write them.

 _Dear Natsu,_

 _Where are you? It's been months, and I need to tell you_

This one sounded almost accusatory despite the fact that it stopped mid-sentence. There was nothing written on the back, either. Flipping through more notes, Natsu was quick to discover that unlike with her mother, these addressed to him were unorganized, some with long sections, pieces crossed out or scribbled over, some even torn to shreds on the bottom of the box. After a good handful of unfinished letters, he found one that stood out to him and, though it was marked up quite heavily, the bits and pieces left over offered him clarity.

This one did not start with his name. The way she wrote was as though she was rushing to get it done, before she could reason herself to stop.

 _We have a daughter_ , It started. _Her name is Nashi, and she has hair just like yours. It's her birthday today, and I wish more than anything that I could give her what she wants most. But I can't give that to her. Natsu, where are you? I know you said you needed a year to train, but that was four years ago. You must be settled down. Have you found someone new?_

Though the last two sentences were crossed out, they were still legible. Reading them did something weird to his heart. The next paragraph, however, was so scratched through that there were straight up holes through the paper, and everywhere else looked as though it had been doused over in black ink. Maybe it had been. Skipping down, Natsu continued reading.

 _We're trying as hard as we can_ , Lucy wrote, _but we're getting nowhere fast. She's amazing, though. Nashi. You would be proud to call her yours. I hope you get to meet someday, Natsu. I hope we get to meet again, too. You took a part of me with you, when you left. It may have been the best part of me, I know I'm different without it. I hope I'm good enough for Nashi as I am._

 _I'll forgive you if you return it to me. Just you. So hurry up and come find us. I know you can. You're amazing, with amazing senses and amazing instincts and I know you know how to use them. I've already tried and failed, Natsu. I want to believe that I can, but in truth I can't find anyone. It's your turn. Please. Rescue me this one last time, and I'll forgive you._

This letter, from about three years ago. It spoke volumes and it was never sent. Because where would she send it? Fairy Tail? To Lucy, that was no longer an active guild. Just a name. For an instant, Natsu wondered what may lay on the back of her hand, but then he shook the thought away. Irregardless of the fact that she was gone, that symbol is a mark of their family and their times together. It was a part of her, and her words did not seem as though she would ever want to loose it.

Her words continued through at least another 50 letters, but after only a handful of legible letters, he decided to stop. They did not reflect her life as a whole, but told stories of Nashi, half of which seemed to be composed with the intention of informing Natsu that he and Lucy had a daughter, but her fear seemed to have caught the best of her and sent them underground. Of course, he already knew this, and he wanted to hear the stories of Nashi with his own ears. Preferably not by her pen, but her voice.

Thoughts of Fairy Tail and family eventually returned him to thoughts of Nashi. Without Lucy's scent around to scatter his sensibilities and cloud his judgement, he began to truly and openly consider Nashi as an individual. He thought back to their meeting, and for the first time, he saw past the suspicion to a scared, hungry little girl who had just lost her mother. She had been wandering around for a week and traveling on her own, with barely enough energy to use her magic effectively, let alone protectively. She could have been seriously hurt, or robbed of the last of her mother's possessions.

Absentmindedly, Natsu's hands found their way to his scarf, almost as if to reassure himself that it was still there. It dawned on him that Nashi and he were perhaps more similar than he thought; both traveling with their parent, learning magic, and then mysteriously abandoned. Both sworn to keep searching.

Not something he would ever want for his own daughter. and then it dawned on him.

He was Nashi's Igneel. And although Igneel had been great in his life, Natsu needed to be better. Natsu's hands grabbed at the smaller blanket on the bed subconsciously. It must have been Nashi's. He briefly wondered if she missed it, fingers tightening around the fabric.

He could do it, too. Lucy believed in him. _I know you can_ , she had written.

She believed he was amazing. _With amazing senses and amazing instincts_.

 _I know you can_.

In an instant, Natsu shot out of the hole in the floor, hitting the bed over him. In a burst of rejuvenated energy and anticipation for what he was going to do next, the bed went up in flames as he made his way through the room, blanket in hand, leading a trail of fire behind him. After hoarding any edible food left uneaten into his scarf, Happy swooped down to grab at Natsu before flying them both away to head north. Next stop, Melba. Finding clues, finding Lucy.

Every memory and letter was left behind. They didn't need to carry the weight.

The house went up in smoke behind them.

* * *

 **Things are gonna change! Aren't you excited? I'm excited.**

 **Thanks again for the feedback, all! It always makes my day. This one's just cos you all rock.**

 **Later,**

 **Me**


	7. On the Trail

She was so happy, surrounded by an extended family and friends for the first time in her life. All of the people around her genuinely seemed to adore her, and she had made fast friends with all of the other Fairy Tail children. She was naturally charming and sweet and drew everyone to her, even the self proclaimed tough guys of the guild like Gajeel and Master Laxus, though they had softened considerably with love in their lives. Mira and Lisanna spoiled her, and Erza had developed an unexpected tendency to regularly do her hair and dress her up for fun, despite her sometimes questionable sense of style. In more ways than one, Nashi was perhaps happier than she had ever been.

She was also profoundly lonely. Nashi was seven years old today. Nobody knew, as she hadn't mentioned it, though she wasn't entirely sure as to why.

It wasn't the guild that she wanted to celebrate with her, it was her Mommy. It had been at least a couple of weeks, and to the girl who had never in over six years been separated from her mother, she was broken in ways that she didn't think possible to explain. Although many of her guild mates understood exactly what she was going through, she would not go to any of them. She simply didn't know their histories aligned so closely to her own.

The entire day she kept unusually quiet, barely speaking when spoken to and ignoring Storm altogether.

The wiser guild members recognized her attitude as spiteful toward the boy, who was surrounded by a family and two parents that not only loved him, but also each other. They were fiercely protective and loyal, and so was her mother. But unlike Nashi, Storm's parents were here. Both of them. Together. A dark corner of her heart was beginning to resent him.

For all she knew, her Daddy could be dead. Strange and unsettling thoughts began to swarm her mind. Thoughts of what her life could have been like, being raised by someone like Gray. Being protected and loved in a way that only a father could provide. But she held no resentment toward him, whoever her Daddy was. She didn't even know him. She might never. And what of Mommy?

Not for the first time, it occurred to Nashi that she could be an orphan. It was an unwelcome thought.

It was the most lousy birthday, the little girl was absolutely sure of it. And so it was that in the middle of the guild, in the middle of the day, Nashi began to cry. She was completely inconsolable, clutching her doll to her as tightly as she could. It was her lifeline. And all the rest of the guild could do was stand by.

* * *

For Natsu, it had been another grueling train ride. Happy had been exhausted of his magic about halfway through the journey, and Natsu resigned himself to the consequences he would feel on public transit, prioritizing Lucy over his comfort. Certainly one of his more chivalrous gestures. At least it would have been, had he ever agreed to ride the train with her actually around.

As it turned out, finding the hotel that Lucy and Nashi stayed in was a cinch, as it was the only hotel around. Though he didn't even notice it at the time, his only intention being to find a room for himself and Happy so they could dump their stuff and move right along, the chatty older woman at the counter gave it away. She had been gossiping with her coworker about all of the happenings in Malba.

"You be careful now," she'd been saying as he stepped in, not noticing him. "Pretty youn' girls like yerself get snatched right up. Why, not two weeks ago we ended up with a child runnin' around on their own, room 203. Mother left 'round dinnertime and never came back. The boys just decided to let her stay I think, we weren't too busy, you know how it is, but then she disappeared too!" The woman gestured wildly as she spoke through her accent, brown hair flying around her. As she turned back to the door she spotted Natsu and Happy, standing and waiting on the other side of their desk as she finished her speech.

"Can I help you?" she asked the pair, not unkindly.

Natsu, who had not been expecting to run into news of Lucy this easily after years of fruitless searching, stood unresponsive for a moment, prompting Happy to request a room for them. Of course, this took both women behind the counter for a bit of a shock, neither of them expecting to be addressed by a talking blue cat, before the older brunette who had been speaking dismissed the younger girl to fetch some fresh sheets for their guests. She got right down to business.

"A room with a view then, no? Some strange sight seeing trip yer on, hardly anyone comes 'round here. Or are you on a job?" The woman ruffled through her desk before pulling out a room key labeled 210, and she eyed Natsu's appearance as she held out her arm to give it to him. "You look like a guild type," she clarified.

"You bet I am," Natsu responded, pride seeping into his voice at the thought of his family. "I'm a Fairy Tail wizard! but I'm not here for an official job, I'm actually looking for someone." He reached out to accept the room key and studied it for a moment before opening his mouth again. "Actually, is there any chance room 203 is available? I heard you talking before about a little girl left alone?" The woman at the desk eyed him critically for a brief moment before she moved to exchange the room keys, a slight smile creeping onto her face.  
"Aye, but I never said it was a girl. What's your name, son?"

"Natsu Dragneel, and this is Happy," he introduced them.

"Well, I'll tell you what, Natsu. You give me the names of those girls who were here and this room is all yours. Plus the standard fee, of course. Sixty Jewel per night." She dangled a new key in front of him now, the label 203 gleaming in the yellow light of the ceiling lamp.

"Nashi was the little girl. About yay high," he motioned with his hands, "and hair colored like mine. And her mother, blonde hair, brown eyes. Lucy. Er, Lucy Heartfilia."

The woman narrowed her eyes and stared at him a moment longer before suddenly slamming down the key and sliding it towards him on the desk between them.

"All yours," she repeated. The younger girl chose that moment to reappear in a doorway behind the front desk, face obstructed by blankets and pillows. The mass of fabric caused her hair to frizz out in a massive yellow puff around her head.

"Honey, escort these two to room two-oh-three. Then you can take your lunch. But do be careful!"

When they arrived at the door labeled to match their key, Pierra pushed in front of them, leading the way in and neatly placing her armful of beddings on a table before getting to work setting them up. As she busied herself around the bed, the two behind her took a moment to drop their bags and look around. The room had been cleaned, of course. Natsu could only imagine how bad the room must have been left with his own child as the only occupant, though Nashi was admittedly significantly neater than himself. A trait she definitely inherited from Lucy.

Even so, his honed senses made it easy for him to tell that it had been a quick clean-up job. It was reminiscent of a kid throwing all of their miscellaneous items into a single bulging drawer when told to clean their room. Normally, this would bother him—who wants a dirty room? but Natsu was hardly about to complain about bad service when the mess brought him closer to Lucy. A fair amount of time had passed, but she'd been there more recently than anywhere else that he knew, and he could smell small traces of her scent. Hers and Nashi's mixed together, loitering mostly on the throw pillows atop the couch. The blankets, at least, had been properly washed. His eyes drifted over to the unknown girl in the room, finishing up making the bed and collecting the older blankets to take away. Her yellow hair exhibited traces of static as she worked around the fabrics, standing on end. For a moment Natsu envisioned Lucy in her place, fussing with her hair and complaining to him. He was smiling when the spell broke as she turned around, and her eyes were not in fact brown, but a light violet.

"Well, that'll be all for now. If you need anything at all, you can ask for either myself or Amma at the desk, we're happy to help. Though, do try not to come knocking too late if you can avoid it." Natsu was surprised at her voice, too. Having only heard accents like the one of the woman at the desk—Amma, was it?—the cool, sharp accent caught him off his guard and before he could inquire anything about it, she was gone. Well, the staff was moving right along with their day. Natsu figured he and Happy may as well do the same.

"So yer lookin' for the girl, then?" The loud hostess' voice stopped Natsu as he was stepping out to explore the town not five minutes later. Her curiosity had won over her manners in the end. The string of disappearances was hard enough to deal with already, but the thought of a child among them was so much worse to her. Her practiced respect for the personal privacy of those who chose to stay under her roof was no match for her intrinsic concern, and this man seemed likely to have information. Sensing this from the tone of her voice and her words thus far, Natsu stopped to appease her.

"Ah, yeah. No. I mean, I'm looking for Lucy. Nashi and I are . . . reunited." Natsu hesitated at the last word, feeling the guilt of dismissing her for the past week or so weighing on his shoulders. He vowed to himself that they would be, though. Reunited, that is. They'd bond and get closer and live like a family. With Lucy, of course. Noticing the troubled look surface on the lady's face across from him, he elaborated in the best way he could manage, "She's safe in Magnolia with our guild." With his words came such a look of relief across the older woman's face that both the dragon slayer and exceed on the receiving end felt a pull of appreciation for her. This only increased with her following words: "Thank heaven. Good luck, son. I hope you find your Lucy." Amma's uncertainty over the relationship that lived between the two didn't inhibit her well wishes for them, and then they were finally on their way.

The notoriously destructive fire dragon slayer was feeling motivated, more than he had in a long while. It was about midday as he and Happy strolled through the bustling streets. They garnered a few odd looks, but nobody bothered with him, and that suited him just fine. It would seem Natsu still had his destructive reputation, even as far as Melba. All of the street vendors took a liking to him rather quickly though, once his stomach started growling.

They learned quickly; hungry Natsu was good for business. Some even eased up on their initially wary impressions of him, speaking openly about life, and he took the opportunity to start asking questions of his own.

"Hey, you haven't happened to see a girl around here, have you?" At the blank stare of the young vendor, Natsu waited.

"Lots a people seem to go missin' nowadays. Maybe try describin' her?" The young man running the stand spoke slowly, like he was talking to an idiot, prompting Natsu to elaborate with a bit of bite in his tone, though he tried to keep polite.

"Blonde hair, big brown eyes, kind of scary but really nice?" Now the vendor looked slightly incredulous at the lack of distinguishing characteristics.

"Sounds like my sister. Look, kid. I see tons of people every day. You're gonna have to do better than that."

"What the hell, man? I'm totally older than you!"

"You rather I call you an idiot? Idiot."

Natsu's skin began to burn. He didn't have time for that moron. He walked a couple of blocks north before stopping again—but not before igniting a small fire at the initial stand. This time it was an older gentleman. An old geezer. Looked nice enough. Sure enough, this conversation went differently.

"That's an unusual hair color, young man." Natsu looked stunned for a moment, but he answered with a grin. "And that's an unfortunate one, old man" he replied, indicating the receding grey hairline. Fortunately, the man took the comment in stride.

"Touché! But you know, I've seen it before, not long ago. Little brat, stole from my sho—"

There was a small explosion that sounded from just south, and for just a second, a smirk flashed across Natsu's face. Then he registered the old man's words.

"You saw a little girl!? How old was she? It _was_ a girl, right? Wait, how long was her hair—are you sure it was this pink? You know, _this_ is more salmon—"

Natsu began speaking too fast for the geezer to understand and had to be cut off with a shout. He was radiating heat again, this time from excitement.

"Hey, Brat! Stop melting my merchandise!" Natsu turned it down a notch, still grinning.

"She was pretty small, probably around my granddaughter's age. Maybe eight or so?" He stopped and took a moment to think, then continued.

"It was the same shade as yours. Probably. It was pink, so is yours. Deal with it."

"But how long was it?" Natsu asked, ignoring the comment.

"It was up in pigtails, I couldn't tell. Paid more attention to the fact she was trying to steal from my shop. I gave her a good talking to, you better believe." The man continued muttering until Natsu decided to cut him off by shoving a fiery fist to his face. An effective way to shut anyone up, not that the situation entirely called for such aggressive measures. Then he asked in a hopeful tone after backing down, "Was anybody with her? A busty girl, blond hair, brown eyes?" When the geezer said no and then asked for a picture with a slightly sleazy smile, the pink haired boy decided that he'd had enough before walking off with a lazy wave of his hand.

"Thanks old man! See ya around!" he yelled behind him before disappearing into what looked like a pharmacy. Come to think of it, this would all be much easier if he had a picture of Lucy, but the house back in Crocus had probably burned to the ground, and he hadn't thought to take one. It was pure luck when he passed the magazine rack and happened to spot a section of issues of Sorcerer Weekly. He picked it up curiously, wondering what it said about him that made the townspeople so wary, when he got distracted by a spread.

 **Popular Mages Through The Ages**

He could hardly believe it, but two pages in was a small article about Lucy. She was looking like the Lucy he'd known from the guild, flaunting her girly side for the world to see, a great big grin on her face. Shrugging off his discomfort, the young man ripped the paper straight out of the magazine and handed it to Happy, who tucked it into his scarf. Unsurprisingly, they left rather quickly after that so as to avoid getting caught destroying and stealing merchandise—it was only one picture, after all. The Exceed, having noticed his partner's reaction to the shot of Lucy, began his old taunts. They were rusty but effective at making Natsu turn an amusing shade of red. Natsu obviously couldn't deny it this time, having her kid and all that. He could practically hear Elfman in his head, shouting " _Take it like a man!_ "

Though it did make him secretly happy. He and Happy were feeling hopeful and joyful, and surprisingly, Happy's taunts seemed to raise that.

* * *

There were a lot of smells. It would have been close to impossible to sniff out Lucy unless she was still loitering around, Natsu knew that, and so he hadn't truly expected to be able to find anything. Even so, this was ridiculous. It would be hard enough keeping track of Happy at this rate. At least all of the smells were delicious.

It was nearing the end of their second full day in the city. Though they were unsuccessful at finding any real lead, having a picture on hand really did help the cause. Lucy was pretty memorable, after all. Sleuthing around for clues, Happy had recalled that Lucy had been going to pick up food from Nashi's story, and had never returned, and this was confirmed by the employees at the Inn, which whom they'd traded stories upon retuning the previous night. Amma was eager to learn more about the mages who had passed through and offered any information she had in hopes of helping to find her, recounting every conversation she'd had with Lucy to the best of her ability. According to her, Lucy had come through the lobby in the early evening, accompanied by her spirit Loke, whom she described as a dashing young man, if only a little too flirty for her taste. She hadn't had much with her, only her spirit and enough jewel for dinner from the market around the block. The two now found themselves walking the same path as Lucy presumably did, going by the directions from the hotel staff into a popular part of town. Many restaurants and food stands lined the streets, as well as occasional potions stops and magic shops, and though they were not unpleasant, the sheer amount of odors were making Natsu's head spin.

After ten minutes of being in the main square, Happy decided to excuse himself from their party of two to hunt down the fishy aroma that had caught his interest, and Natsu agreed to walk around without him for a bit. He made his way along the sidewalk, occasionally getting distracted by flashy window displays and risky wagers. One magic store caught his interest, and he found himself pushing open the door to address some inquiries with the owner. He had seen a couple of keys in the window and thought that perhaps Lucy had come calling before she went missing. For all anyone knew, Aquarius could have been found and brought here to be sold.

Natsu was shaken out of his thoughts when an older man with a terribly scraggly attempt at a beard and greasy dark hair approached and spoke to him loudly.

"Ah! I see you've wandered into my magic emporium, young man. Might I have something that interests you?" The man eyed Natsu in a hungry way, as if he liked what he saw, but the dragon slayer in question paid it no attention. He was here on a mission.

"Uh, yeah. I was wondering if you had any celestial gate keys," Natsu answered absentmindedly. Now that he was inside, he was taking in what the store had to offer, entranced by the selection. It seemed there were sections for everything you could imagine, not to mention an entire wall dedicated to prank magic. It was almost too good to be true. The owner seemed intrigued by the request, and responded with interest.

"Celestial gate keys? Now, that's a rare form of magic. I might have something of interest for you. May I ask your skill level?" Natsu had to blink out of his daze, he had still been eyeing the merchandise in the room. There seemed to be toys, too. Weird. Maybe some kind of childhood training magic? His own lessons had been a bit unconventional, after all. Maybe thats how kids usually learned beginner magic. For all he knew, it could be. Like Asuka with her toy guns when she was little. Or maybe like that time they fought the guy with the voodoo doll. Shaking his head of the curious thoughts, he readdressed the man.

"Oh, I don't use keys," the dragon slayer clarified, lighting a flame on his fist. "I'm Salamander of Fairy Tail," he boasted, showing his insignia. "Natsu Dragneel."

Interestingly, the clerk seemed both giddy and cautious, almost torn between the two emotions as he eyed Natsu through this lens of recognition.

"And what interest does the great dragon slayer Salamander have," the man questioned, "in gate keys?"

Finally fully attentive to the conversation, Natsu wasted no time in thrusting his hand into his left pocket, where he'd stashed the relatively-newly acquired photo of Lucy from the magazine and pulling it out, declaring that it wasn't for him, but he was trying to find his friend, and had he seen her?

Natsu was still trying to figure out what he did wrong when not a second later, he was kicked out to the curb, store door locked behind him.

He hadn't even destroyed anything!

* * *

 **Hmmmmm... So that happened.  
I've been finishing up a lot of freelance art work along with my regular job, so I should have more time to update a bit more frequently. I'll do my best! You guys are all awesome for the feedback. I had more trouble with this chapter than I thought, but hope you enjoyed it! I've been working on the later ones. A lot is about to go down.**

 **Later, guys!**


	8. Perhaps An Apology

When Natsu finally returned home the next week, it was already growing dark. He had gone with Happy straight to the guild, not bothering to stop at home. Instead they carried all of their belongings that they had collected on their trip with them.

"Welcome back Natsu, Happy," Mira said, noticing him before anyone else. His entrance had been quiet, which could have been normal for many of the guildmates, but seemed rather strange for him. The barmaid's slight wariness quickly turned to relief when he returned her greeting with what seemed to be a genuine smile and an enthusiastic wave.

The late hour being what it was, many of the usuals to be found at the guild had already headed home for the night, having young children to tend to. In short, this meant Gray was not around to question his friend on his unusually quiet demeanor in the most unpleasant way possible, and so it was one of the small handful of times that Natsu made an inconsequential entrance. Aside from Mira's greeting, only Cana seemed to notice his entrance from her place at the bar, offering him a friendly wave without breaking from her beer.

"Hi Cana," he greeted her as he made his way slowly towards them. He was tired after a long trip walking home with Happy, and he hadn't eaten nearly as much as he would have liked, so his energy was a bit low.

"Hey, Mira. Where's Nashi?" At his question, Mira couldn't help her eyes from widening, nor could she stop the smile slowly spreading across her cheeks as she moved to prepare him a dinner. This was the first time Natsu had sought out Nashi since they brought her. Could this be progress? She couldn't help wondering what he might have found on his secret solo mission—she had only gotten the minimal details from Laxus, of course—but first she had to answer his question. Mira was proud and excited about what his new interest could mean for the father-daughter relationship everyone's been waiting for. It had to be the biggest thing since Cana and Gildarts.

"Lis, Cana and Erza took her out for desserts tonight. I do imagine they've gone home already, though, it's gotten pretty late," She told him as she bustled around, a slight frown creeping on to her face as she remembered the state of the child for the past few days. "She hasn't been doing too well. Last week she had a bit of a breakdown, we're still trying to figure out why. She must really miss Lucy." Mira's eyes met Natsu's and they held each other's gazes for a moment. He looked concerned, which prompted her to continue. "I'm glad you're asking about her," She told him honestly. She could only begin to imagine what he'd learned that changed his attitude, and was eager to ask him.

He had a sort of rueful smile that seemed out of place on his face at her words, but it was gone before Mira had time to snap out of her musings enough to really consider it.

"I found out a lot," Natsu told her, seating himself at a stool by the bar, dropping his bag by his feet as he settled. "Is Laxus around? We need to talk. I might have a lead on Lucy." Natsu looked to her eagerly with a hint of impatience, but Mira shook her head. Damn. He'd hoped that where Mira was, Laxus would be. "He's actually at a conference with the other Guild Masters in the area, he and Makarov will be gone for a few days at least. But that's great news, Natsu! What did you find?"

As Natsu responded, beginning to tell Mira about the letters as vaguely as he could, Happy slipped away to go and find Carla. Now that Natsu planned to build his and Nashi's relationship, Happy could mend his own with the pretty white exceed he so adored. He wished to waste no time.

The furry blue busybody wandered around the guild for a while in search of her, and was almost ready to go check in Fairy Hills before he heard a bit of commotion coming from the floor above him. Looking up past the stairs, he saw the swish and flick of a familiar white tail, and any caution and comprehension he might've had at sensing the tense scene flew out the window in typical Happy fashion. He simply could not contain himself.

"Carla!" Happy began to shout, his glee loud and clear, though he was quickly quieted by the very feline who inspired it. Her voice was low as she cut him off with a paw over his mouth, and her glare was perhaps harsher than he deserved. Noticing this at his suddenly downtrodden look, her eyes softened as she explained.

"Now may not be the best time, Tom Cat." Her eyes glanced back to where her companions sat as she said this, though they were out of view. Even so, Wendy's and Romeo's voices began to raise, floating down towards the hidden exceeds.

Curious as a cat is bound to be, Happy re-sprouted his wings and floated up as discreetly as he was able in order to spy on the couple, and was quite surprised at what he saw. Where they're usually fairly lovely around each other, Romeo was sitting stiffly, seeming uncharacteristically anxious as he faced his lady love, downcast eyes struggling to meet hers. Wendy herself looked bothered and defensive, arms crossed tightly across her chest and eyes glaring at the table. Happy was surprised to see her face red, and a silent moment passed of Romeo still refusing to meet her eyes before she huffed and stomped away from their table. With a passing look at Happy, Carla passed him by as she went to follow Wendy out, stopping briefly just to pat his shoulder with a soft "Welcome back," to which Happy could not help but smile. This small distraction to the blue exceed gave the black-haired young man at the table just enough time to notice him. He sighed and turned to address the cat as he floated back down from cloud nine. Really, the exceed was too easy to please.

Romeo stared at Happy, who didn't quite know what to say. The cat settled instead for an uncomfortable stare back, which prompted the boy to explain.

"Our last mission went a little awry. Wendy wont talk to me about it, and I think it's messing with her confidence, which is messing up her control. Not to mention our relationship," he admitted with a long and sorry sounding sigh. Happy nodded along as though he understood the situation, and while Romeo continued to explain the story in greater detail, Happy drifted off to thoughts of Carla once more.

A helpful listener, he was not. He was only pulled back into the conversation by another intrusion, this time a lighter-hearted, accented female voice. The Romeo who had just minutes ago been sad and sighing, thrusting his head into his arms, and moaning about how life is hard now sat hunched as Bisca patted him on the head reassuringly, ruffling his hair affectionately as she spoke to him.

"It'll be alright, just you watch. If I know Wendy, she'll snap back, just gotta give 'er a day or two. I'll go talk to her girl-to-girl. You hang on in there, Romeo." She moved to pat Happy as well before following in the direction of Wendy and Carla. Happy fought the urge to ask what she was still doing at the guild, not wanting to admit that he'd stopped listening to his second favorite fire mage at Fairy Tail. Despite Bisca's words to him, the young man now sitting alone didn't look convinced, so Happy went to comfort him as best he knew how before heading back to find Natsu to drag him home. And so Romeo sat alone at the table on the top floor, hidden behind the stairs, gloomily poking at the smelly dead fish slowly seeping into his lap.

—

The next morning, the famed destructive duo of Fairy Tail had a much more appropriate entrance, and they were eagerly greeted by their family in turn, all ecstatic to see Natsu smiling like his old self. Many of the members had been kept in the dark on where exactly he had been—as per his request—and so he found himself delving back into their adventures of the past week, Natsu keeping his stories vague in regard to the more private details while Happy added quite a few embellishments in his own recount. Thought Natsu enjoyed seeing his family with his newfound optimism, he was more excited than anything to see one person in particular, and had woken especially early to do just that. He was growing ever impatient as the hours ticked by and his most anticipated person had yet to arrive to the guild. He clutched her blanket in his hand as he made his way back to the bar, looking to order his third breakfast.

"I think this one is bordering on brunch," Mirajane joked as she accommodated him, carrying multiple plates from the kitchen. "What's that you've got there? Something for Nashi?" she asks, watching as Natsu waves around a colorful patterned bit of cloth, looking at a loss for what to do with it.

"Ah, yeah. It's a blanket I found at Lucy's old place, I think it was hers. Would you mind holding it for me? I don't want to get it all dirty before I give it to her." Mira smiled at his thoughtfulness as she took the small blanket from him, feeling its soft material before stashing it safely under the counter. "Sure thing, Natsu. Come find me when you want it back, okay?"

"Thanks, Mira!" he responded, flashing her a contagious grin as he prepared to dig in to the meal she placed down after snatching the blanket. After a moment of silence passed between them, the barmaid opened her mouth again to deliver some news.

"So I contacted Laxus this morning, it should be another couple of days before the conference ends. He offered to check out your lead on his way back, see if he and Makarov can garner any more information about the disappearances around Malba and their relationship to the magic shop before heading back home. Said he could check and see if any of the other guilds received a job related to the incidents. Then we can all reconvene and figure out a plan of action." Mira spoke leisurely as she said this, occasionally pausing to tend to the other guild members wanting an afternoon drink at the bar and wiping after Natsu as the food flew around him. "I know you like to rush into things, but we should be careful. If we do something wrong we could risk endangering Lucy." She was expecting a bit of fight from him, who usually likes to jump head first into action, especially when he was fired up about it. To her surprise, he was quick to agree with her.

"I hate to agree," he said, mouth full, "but you're right. And I have Nashi to worry about."

"No, _we_ have Nashi to worry about. We all love her, Natsu," Mira reminded him.

"It's true, we do." A new voice joined in as Gray sidled up next to him, taking the empty seat to his left. "Man, I can't believe you just let that guy get away from you. You're pathetic," he continued to say, completely unapologetic in his criticisms. He had heard the story earlier from Happy, who had really emphasized the fact that the shady wizard had managed to slink away from them.

"Hey asshole, it's not like I didn't try. His scent completely disappeared. It was all his damn potions. Not to mention nobody in the whole freaking city seemed to recognize him." Gray raised a brow at this. Surely people have gone into his shop before?

"So, what? You telling me people are that dedicated to him? Or can you just not describe for shit?" Natsu looked affronted at this.

"For your information ice breath," Natsu retaliated, voice rising, "I described him perfectly. Everyone in that whole town is completely nuts!"

"Says you. Alright, so describe him to me," Gray challenged.

"Why should I?" After a brief stare down, Natsu huffed and accepted his rivals challenge. "He was old-looking, I think. Kind of greasy. Sketchy. And he had this beard. At least I think it was a beard." Natsu's face started to scrunch up in frustration as he struggled to recall the weird wizard who had dismissed him from the magic shop after learning who he was looking for. Though he could envision the man in his thoughts, Natsu's mouth seemed to dry when he tried to share his visage verbally. His head began to pound with memories of the overwhelming scents associated with the mystery man. Gray stopped laughing at his friend's feeble explanation when it looked like the man was about to throw up his brunch.

"Hey, whats wrong with you?" Natsu took a moment to readjust before responding, all fight gone from his voice.

"I dunno, man. Feels like my senses were just totally nullified. I can't believe I let him get away like that. I cant even think about it without feeling sick."

"Weird. Usually only transportation does that," Gray commented cruelly, as the mere mention of moving in a vehicle made Natsu feel even worse. Not that that was his intention.

Natsu was still feeling sick and distracted, trying to keep down all of Mira's food that he'd devoured that morning, when Nashi and Lisanna walked through the front door. Catching their scent as soon as they stepped inside, Natsu dismissed his discomfort and sought them out in the blink of an eye. They hadn't made it ten feet inside before he appeared standing in front of them.

"Hi Lisanna," he began, greeting his old friend, before his eyes strayed down to Nashi and the nerves hit him. His daughter was halfway idling behind Lis, acting as if she wanted to hide from him, but once their eyes met, she couldn't look away. As it was, neither could he, but when he tried to say hello to her, only air came out. Had he really been so terrible to her, that she felt inclined to hide from him? He had ignored her, ignored his friends because of her, yelled at and about her in his panic, and been all-around bizarre without explanation. Crushed under this sudden burst of reality, he began to feel desperate. Natsu suddenly realized that he held the advantage in their nonexistent relationship. Reading through Lucy's letters, and retracing her steps, he learned so much about their adventures and the little girl before him, but to Nashi, he was a stranger. She didn't know him. She had no way of knowing that his grudge had not exactly been personal. What if she thought him cruel? Did he deserve that?

What felt like hours was only seconds however before an oblivious Lisanna returned his gesture in a cheerful voice, saying "Hi, Natsu!"

Then, gaining confidence from her newly-acquired sister figure and seeing he hadn't left, Nashi's spoke up.

The voice that followed Lisanna's was not as cheerful, nor was it oblivious to the tension in the air. Instead it was small and confused and hopeful.

Nashi had wanted to talk to him, as she had been wanting to for a while. While her nerve was admittedly limited, here he was, not running away, not engaged in a fight, actively staring at her in anticipation. She was seven years old now. She was a big girl. She could do this.

"Hi," was all she said, but it was all that was needed. A stunned look was replaced by a smile of relief on Natsu's face as he saw this golden opportunity. She had given him an opening.

"Hi Nashi," he said lightly, crouching down to her level. "Would you maybe like to go out and play today? You and me?" At his words, the little girl stepped out from behind Lisanna and felt her eyes go wide with shock. Was this what she wanted? He was smiling at her. Ack! What to do! She looked away from his face to calm down and saw Storm a ways away, talking with his Daddy. Thinking quickly out of indecisive panic, she replied.

"I should ask Storm first, we were supposed to play today. Um, bye!" With that, Nashi stepped out from between the two older wizards and rushed to her friend's side so quickly that she knocked him over. He turned, surprised, not expecting to see her until much later.

"Wha—Oh, Nashi. Hi. Are you okay?" Gray and Storm watched as they awaited her answer, letting her catch her breath.

"Um, I'm okay. I… I know you were gonna practice magic today, but… Can I stay with you?"

"It's going to be pretty boring today," Gray answered for his son. He was beginning to feel that uncomfortable tingling on the back of his neck, like someone nearby was watching him.

"We're going to be focusing on basics of Ice Make magic, which wouldn't be very useful to you. But I'm sure you know that, Nashi. Did something happen?" Gray inquired curiously.

Nashi fiddled with her hands a bit before replying. She felt a bit embarrassed of running away like that. So much for being a big girl now. But this was Uncle Gray talking to her now, and she had no problem talking to him.

"Natsu asked me to play today." Gray's eyebrows shot up high on his forehead, surprised. A quick glance around the guild confirmed that Natsu was watching them. Huh. Okay. He would need to be tactful in his next words.

"Do you not want to, Nashi?"

"That's not it," she replied, looking to Storm as if he could help her explain her complex feelings. He seemed confused.

"Well, I think you should go and have fun. He's been really confused lately, but he can be kind of fun too. I think he wants to get to know you." Gray encouraged.

As Nashi slowly made her way back over to the older pink haired mage who now stood by the bar, Natsu absorbed what he'd just overheard. Her short conversation with Gray filled her with the confidence and curiosity that she needed in order to proceed. Nashi called out Natsu's name just as he took the small blanket back from Mira, and he thought for one fleeting moment how he'd never been more grateful to Gray in his life.

As she approached, Natsu quickly stuffed the item in his pocket, suddenly grateful for the invention that was baggy pants. He turned to smile at his daughter, whose earlier hopeful expression was mirrored on his face.

"Okay," she said to him. "Storm says we can play today."

"All right!" Natsu cheered, exaggerating his joy for her amusement. He played along with her excuse, not wanting to call her out on her white lie and embarrass her. "I'm all fired up! You ready to go?"

One hesitant nod later, he scooped her up until she was sitting on his shoulders. He was plenty strong enough to support her, after all. And just like that, the two left the guild gaping in their wake.

Natsu could think of one place to take her, and after a few minutes of running her around the busy afternoon streets, he plopped them both down in the shade of a tree that stood so tall and wide, it could only be described as regal. Even though it wasn't in season to glow, the rainbow sakura trees were beautiful year-round, and this largest tree was the most magnificent of them all.

At least, that was how Lucy felt. Lucy had absolutely adored it so much that Natsu had felt compelled to practically deliver it to her doorstep.

As he settled against the trunk, he noticed that Nashi was gaping, and a look of wonder graced her features as she stared up at the leaves and blossoms.

"It's so pretty," was all she said. As good an invitation to bond as anything. As the child turned to fully take in the view, Natsu saw the limp doll hanging from her belt shift into view.

"Your Mom thought so, too," he said, beginning to feel sentimental.

"My Mommy did?" Nashi asked excitedly. Natsu was going to talk about her mother? Did he know her?

"You bet she did," he answered, setting the story. "One night every year, these trees will glow with every color in the rainbow, and they only exist right here. The whole city throws a festival to come and see them light up. So on the very first year Lucy was here, she was so excited to see them. For weeks before it, it was all she would talk about, and her excitement spread to everybody else. But on the day of, she got sick and she couldn't come." Nashi gasped at this, immersed in the story. "So do you know what happened?" he asked her, goading her to guess.

"Did she miss it?" Nashi asked, disappointment brewing.

"Not at all. Well, she missed the food, and the dancing. She didn't get to spend it with all our friends. But that night, before the trees could glow, I went and dug it out of the ground, and i put it in the water so that it would float along, right past her window. And she loved it."

A smile was shared between them as the story finished, though little Nashi still had questions.

"How did it get back?" She asked, genuinely curious.

"I had to put it back afterwards. And I got in a lot of trouble. I was banned for a few years. But it was worth it, to make your Mommy happy."

"Did you know my Mommy well?"

And there it was. The question he knew he'd have to answer eventually. But Natsu wasn't quite ready to explain their relationship. How could he explain his behavior, his absence, to his six year old daughter who he hadn't even known he'd had? How could he explain that he'd disappeared on Lucy to Nashi when he could no longer justify it to himself? Sure, he'd gotten stronger. But physical strength was not helping him now. An entirely different kind of strength was what he'd need before he could tell Nashi he was her dad, and he just wasn't there yet.

"I… I did. I actually brought your Mommy to Fairy Tail. It was probably the best thing I ever did. And we were partners." He answered her question, trying to remain vague while honest.

"What do partners do?"

"Partners are friends. Really important friends, who'll go on jobs with you and eat with you, protect you and have your back no matter what. And they never abandon you. Lucy was an excellent partner," Natsu said, and continued speaking before Nashi could ask anything else. "I brought something for you."

Nashi blinked, surprised as she watched Natsu struggle with his pocket, eventually having to stand to get to it properly. Once he had, he held out his hand, and hanging from it was her old baby blanket that they'd left back in their old home. So much had happened since she'd last been in Crocus, Nashi had forgotten all about it. The material was beginning to fray around the edges, and a bit of it even looked slightly charred. Grabbing for it, she noted that it was still soft.

"I went away for about a week to look for clues about Lucy, and I managed to find your old house, Nashi. I thought you might be missing this." Natsu was understandably reluctant to tell his daughter that he'd burned down her childhood house, but it turned out he didn't need to.

"Thank you." He fumbled for words for a moment before remembering another thing he'd learned from Lucy's letters.

"Don't mention it, kiddo. Think of it as a late birthday present."

"What?" Nashi asked, wide-eyed.

"Is that wrong?"

"No, I just… I didn't tell anybody." Her lip trembled. Impulsively, Natsu took the blanket still hanging from his hand and draped it around her shoulders, effectively wrapping her like a burrito before she could start crying.

"Well, then how did you celebrate?" he asked stupidly, not knowing what to do. She just shook her head. And then Natsu understood. His first birthday without Igneel had been a painful one, because he had only ever known a time when they were together. Of course it would be the same for her. Instead of asking her anything else, Natsu picked up his daughter and held her tightly. They both needed the hug.

"Yeah," he said. "I miss her too."

* * *

Yo! It's actually been forever, lots of junk has happened, included but not limited to insane writer's block. So I settled for space away and writing multiple chapters that come after this one before I was able to finish this. This chapter is kind of crucial in more ways than one. Sorry if theres any errors, and sorry it took this long. Good news is, I have way more written for future chapters. Lots of crazy is about to go down. In a way, it's already started.

Anywho, the favorites and follows mean so, so much to me. I'm so incredibly appreciative of all the support. And hearing your feedback inspires me to keep going. Thanks, all!


	9. Moving Along

_The last night_.

As she stormed out of the guild hall, Wendy was boiling under her skin, a feeling she was growing more and more accustomed to. She was angry with Romeo, angry that he'd wanted to leave her home as he took his next job. Hurt at the implication that he no longer had faith in her. Insecure about her recent failings and frustrated at her apparent inability to regain control. In her heart she knew that she was being unfair to Romeo, misdirecting her negative feelings at his genuine concern and rocking their relationship. Furthermore, acknowledging this only made for her to feel like a bratty child, and she grew angry at herself for being that way, bothered because there was no one else to blame.

Still, she wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone else that night. She knew she had Carla on her tail with Bisca following not far behind, and used her superior dragon slaying senses to avoid them, taking back alleys and retreating to the trees, where it was dark enough that she felt confident that she would not be found. Carla had conceded to the situation fairly quickly without much fuss and headed back to their shared room, figuring Wendy would return when she was ready. Bisca, after chasing her trail in the dark for nearly half an hour, resigned to returning home to her own family for the night. And finally, smelling no one else tailing her, Wendy returned to the ground, opting to take a walk. Hopefully the fresh air and distance might help to calm her mind.

By the time she returned to Fairy Hills, she was still simmering, but shame was creeping in. She felt shame for her behavior, but even more for her failure on her last job with Romeo. She could not find rhyme or reason for what had happened to her, could not explain why her spellwork had backfired and injured an innocent bystander, could not understand how she failed to heal them. Her confidence was shattered, her shame was eating her, and Romeo's insistence that he leave her behind was rage-inducing and heartbreaking. It was as though her world had given up on her, and she didn't dare talk about it with Carla, unreasonably angry that her Exceed's predictions did not prepare her for this.

The sun was already shining low in the sky as Wendy approached the boarding house, and she snuck in as quietly as she could, hoping beyond hope that everyone else would be asleep at this late hour and leave her to her misery. The last thing Wendy wanted was to be approached by any of the other girls. Hopefully, she would be able to out sleep them and avoid them entirely, and get away with not visiting the guild. How could she face them?

As the week went on, Wendy found herself taking the walks nightly, sometimes multiple times a day. She had avoided the guild hall entirely for the last two days, only returning upon the news that Romeo had left. The feelings of shame continued to creep on her, and she didn't feel like answering where Romeo was on his new job, or why he left without her. She was growing more tired of those nosy guild members who just couldn't take a hint. It didn't take long for her to regret her decision to return, as being amongst her boasting friends did nothing for her confidence, even if they didn't mock her directly. They wouldn't, of course. But she still felt as though they had. Instead, the sky dragon slayer found herself heading into the woods to find Porlyusica. Though the older woman always held a soft spot for the girl, now grown into a young and capable woman, she held no sympathy for Wendy's plight whatsoever. Her solution was straightforward and simple. "Get over yourself, and do better," she'd said, "Now get out."

Needless to say, Wendy felt no better.

* * *

At the Fairy Tail guild, things were beginning to change. Though Natsu and Nashi were gradually spending more time together since their first outing, they were still largely unfamiliar with each other, and so the father and daughter continued to approach each other with relative distance and sensitivity. Nashi was still in the dark about their actual connection, and Natsu wanted their relationship to be stronger and steadier before he dropped such a bomb. Their relationship progressed slowly, giving both individuals time to adjust and know each other at a natural, easygoing pace. While she still stayed with Lisanna at night, having Natsu in her life had brightened up Nashi's considerably. Her spirits had been higher ever since she and Natsu opened up to each other under the cherry blossoms, an invisible weight lifting from her heart. In the passing days, this had prompted Nashi to ask Lisanna about her own personal story, and was surprised to find more similarities between them. In the week since Natsu's return, the little girl learns more and more about the guild members and finally starts to understand how much they can genuinely empathize with her situation, finally growing comfortable in the family she never knew.

When they learn of her birthday's uneventful passing, the other children in the guild became devastated and outraged, insisting on throwing a belated birthday party for their friend. It was unacceptable, simply unacceptable that she start her new year without one. Several adults sprouted smiles, and finally Erza announced, "Well, what are we waiting for?"

It is decided among the adults of the guild that they would split into groups, with the Fullbusters taking Nashi, Asuka, and Gale out on the town for a day of fun, snacks, and shopping (the children insisting on presents), with Lisanna, Cana and Natsu insisting on joining them. The rest would remain at the guild hall, decorating and cooking for a grand feast once the birthday girl and friends returned. Erza herself was in charge of cake, of course. And as soon as the group of nine was out the door, everyone got to work.

Laughter bubbled up from her throat as Nashi ran through the streets of Magnolia with Storm, playing a variation of tag, and Asuka was It. Juvia stayed back with Gale, the youngest growing too tired to play, and watched as her husband and Natsu not-so-subtly sabotaged the kids. Smiles adorned everyone's faces as the sun slowly sunk in the sky. The day had been eventful to say the least, filled with ice cream and laughter, some at Natsu's expense as Nashi dragged him on a kiddie ride at a pop-up street fair. But they were all glad to see that they had managed to make it a marvelous day, little Nashi so delightfully distracted that when her beloved doll slips from it's slot in her belt, she does not even notice it's absence until much, much later.

When the group arrives back at the guild, they are greeted with colorful lights and delicious smells, and loud happy yells of "Surprise!" in a flurry of different voices. Nashi is immediately whisked away by Erza, bringing the girl to the massive buffet with stars in her eyes, excited to unveil her masterful cake. The music is upbeat as they eat, laugh, and Nashi is overwhelmed with gifts. Reedus painted her a portrait with the guild to commemorate the party, and Gray had helped Storm to craft for her a stunning ice guild mark, which reflected the lights of the room, making her marvel at the sight. Cana had given her a card to contact her, "whenever you want," and Mira had bought her a new dress, who knows when. Jet and Dry delighted her with a ride around the room and a lovely pink flower to match her hair. Levy gave her a book of fairy tales, "From Gale and Gajeel and I. They're some of our favorites."

As if the party hadn't been enough.

After having had an energetic day in the sun, It wasn't more than a few hours before Nashi felt her eyelids getting heavy. Storm had already conked out beside her as they listened to the older members tell stories of parties past, and her attention had been steadily draining as she yearned to join her friend in dreamland. She was vaguely aware of Lisanna lifting her up and bringing her back to their room, curling up to her baby blanket as soon as her head hit the pillow. She easily drifted to sleep.

It was about two in the morning when it happened. It was only light noises emanating from outside of her room as the last of the girls returned from the night's fun, but they were enough to rouse Nashi from her sleep. As the little girl blinked her tired eyes, she wondered what the time was, thinking perhaps it was morning until she noticed the moon shining through the window. Slipping from her blanket, Nashi registered that she had been changed into her pajamas at some point, though she did not remember when, and absently groped around her bed for her favorite doll, only for her hands to come up empty. Supposing that Lisanna had left it in her belt's pouch, Nashi slowly stood, yawning, and walked over to where the belt lay, dangling over the back of a chair. She blinked again, not seeing the usual bulge in the pouch, but proceeded to stick her hand in anyway, only beginning to panic when her hand met nothing inside. Though she was still tired from the long day and little sleep, her heart began to race when she could not find the doll, the only connection to her Mommy, and she stood still for mere second before racing from the room. Nashi spared no thought for Lisanna, sleeping soundly in her own bed, and left the room in nothing but her nightgown, the door closing softly behind her. Outside it was cold, the wind crisp as it blew past her legs. Only the light of the stars was left to guide her as Nashi darted through the streets, looking foreign in the night. With no idea where she's going, desperation takes over her heart until she is utterly, hopelessly lost. The wind muffles her cries as she slumps on the street, alone and defeated in the dark Magnolia night.

Natsu himself was only just heading home not an hour later, having succumbed to Cana's competition. He knew by now that no one could outdrink her, with the exception of Bacchus on the rare occasions he'd visit, and Natsu had predictably passed out as a result of his competitive nature. Having lived much of his life in Magnolia, he had no problem navigating the streets at night. Even if he hadn't, he was confident that his senses were high enough to guide him.

He can't wait to get home and collapse into his hammock, but the sound of sniffling stops him in his tracks.

What? No. It couldn't be…

Still, sniffing her out takes mere minutes before he stands in front of his crying daughter who had yet to notice him. In his foggy mind, he was more than a bit befuddled to find her here, as well as angry that anyone had let her venture out on her own at this hour. He was definitely going to have words with the girls. But that could wait.

Natsu kneels down in front of her, the cold wind and situation clearing his mind as he cautiously calls out her name.

"Nashi? Hey, what's wrong?" _What are you doing out here_ , he wanted to ask, but his breath caught as the small girl looked up at him with watery red eyes. For a moment the two simply stared at each other, no words passing between them before Nashi spoke, her voice hoarse.

"I can't find her," She hiccuped. "I lost her. She's gone." Her voice was hollow and lonely and not at all sounding like it should. She allowed Natsu to carry her back to his home and stayed in his arms throughout the night, refusing to be put down. She just laid in his comfort until his warmth and his hammock rocked them both to sleep.

When Nashi wakes up for the second time that morning, she is surprised to find herself enveloped in the arms of her savior, snoring softly underneath her. she tries to move away, not entirely remembering the events of the night, but his grip on her remained strong. To her utmost surprise, her jostling was enough to flip the both of them over, Nashi screeching as they fell with a thump. Thankfully, it was not a far fall, though Natsu looked confused as he blinked his eyes open and wondered why he'd woken on the floor. His confusion lasted only for a moment, however, until he turned his head to the stunned seven year old beside him and offered her a small smile for her wake up call. After a minute, she tentatively returned his smile, and both stood, Natsu stretching his arms wide. He faintly registered the sunlight streaming through his window as he gazed at Nashi. After the events of last night, he was glad to see her muster a smile, though he still wasn't entirely clear on the events leading up to his finding her. They would take the morning slow, he decided. No need to rush them. The guild could wait.

At least, that was what he figured.

Back at the guild, Mirajane was caught between fury and sympathy as she tried to calm Lisanna, the latter of whom had been in a panic since she'd woken that morning to find the second bed in her room already empty. At first she had hoped that the young girl had only gone to the guild hall early—it wasn't exactly far—but the sight of her day clothes and Lucy's keys still in the room set a heavy feeling in her stomach. She had run to the guild, barely remembering to put on shoes as she left, praying to find Nashi with Mira. The guild had sent a search party into town once enough members had trickled in. Though Mira tried to reassure both herself and her sister that they would find her, they were worried. Lisanna couldn't help dreading how she was going to explain this to Natsu when he arrived.

As it was, they had been waiting for hours before the door to the guild opened once more, but the dragon slayer who walked briskly through the door was not the one they'd been expecting. He was looking haggard and disturbed, and Makarov did not follow behind him.

Laxus took a long look around the unusually unpopulated guild hall before his gaze rested on the Strauss girls. He strode to where they stood in wait, sinking into a chair beside them.

"Don't even ask," he groaned before they could prod him. "Gramps went back to the council to propose a proper investigation after what we found in Malba." After a moment of silence, Mira left to get him some food and a much needed drink. She was not going to settle for no explanation, but she suspected Laxus was going to need the energy.

Ten minutes later, they had migrated to a booth, food set on the table between them. Lisanna was noticeably anxious and kept glancing at the door, but Laxus decided to ignore her and just get on with the story. He'd need to tell them sooner or later.

"So after our meeting, Gramps and I took a train to investigate Malba. We got there and the place was practically barren, not a person in sight," he began between bites of food. A stoic expression settled on his face as he recalled his last few days.

When Laxus and Makarov had gone to investigate Malba after the council meeting, they'd arrived to find the town on lock-down. Many of the shopfronts were locked up and empty, and all of the stands that lined the streets were abandoned. They had only gotten the explanation of a newly-implemented mandatory curfew around the city much later. The news had come to them from a frazzled receptionist at what seemed to be the city's lone hotel, thankfully one of the few places that remained open. The woman herself seemed very out of sorts, mumbling to herself and bumbling around, seeming to manage the entire establishment by herself as he and his grandfather waited patiently, albeit with burning curiosity. She had acted noticeably distant to them, keeping their conversation to a minimum. It was an odd attitude for someone who worked customer service. All the two had managed to glean from her was that the town now had a curfew, and that it was only a matter of time now—but until what, she wouldn't say. There were dark bags under the woman's eyes, and the wizards could only feel their suspicion for the quiet city grow. It would seem that Natsu's lead had not been for naught.

The following morning had been significantly more active than the night prior, but it was still painfully quiet. There were men walking sparsely on the sidewalks to the few open shops, and even a few manning stalls on the street, but they did not call out to attract customers. For the most part, they all seemed to ignore each other, and everyone had kept an especially wide berth from the two outsiders. In the midst of such behavior, it had taken the duo a while longer than he liked to admit to notice the lack of women.

Then they had turned the corner to face a building that must have been the city hall. All of the missing persons signs that hung there were what gave it away.

When they returned to the hotel for their second night, Laxus dropped an armful of missing persons posters that he'd collected with his grandfather onto the front desk. He'd slammed them down in front of the increasingly frantic woman—who seemed to be running the hotel singlehandedly—demanding an explanation in his no-nonsense tone. This startled the woman, who'd been very much lost in her own mind until his sharp voice and actions pierced the quiet. In response, her eyes had drifted down to the stack of papers peeled from the walls in the city. On the top of the pile sat a portrait of a reasonably young woman with light blonde hair and vibrant violet eyes, and suddenly the desk woman was sobbing. Laxus and Makarov had been shocked by the sudden onslaught of sobs until it became apparent that the picture was one she recognized. After calming down with Makarov's help, she'd told them who it was. It had been her assistant.

After much goading, a conversation ensued from her hysteria, and once she realized they were Fairy Tail, her attitude changed entirely. The woman, Amma, remembered Natsu and Nashi and Lucy, and had calmed down just enough to explain why their town was the way it was. The missing people had been gradually disappearing for months, it seemed, all women under forty. Her own assistant had been in just her late teens. Once the media finally labeled them as abductions, a mass hysteria broke out. The number had climbed too high, and so the curfew had been put in place. The remaining women now hardly left their homes. The hotel itself was a live-in business, which was the only reason that Amma continued to run it. Her desperation was crystal clear as she begged for their intervention. Surely a powerful wizarding guild could put a stop to this?

And they had realized that Lucy's disappearance was much, much bigger than they had feared.

"So Gramps and I split up after that, he went to go alert the council, then he's going to try and get the other guilds involved. The usuals."

By this point other members had been trickling into the guild to report back in, though none of them had been successful in their city searching. They all sat around Laxus now, digesting the news of mass-abductions in Malba.

"What I don't understand is, if this has been going on so long, why haven't we heard about it. Surely they would have sent jobs to a number of wizard guilds before now," began Macao.

"Even if not, It should have reached the news. I'm surprised no one has written about it, it should be popular gossip," Max interjected.

And then all conversation ceased as finally, _finally_ Natsu appeared in the doorway, Nashi's hand in his own. Lis collapses in her relief, though hardly anyone notices as they crowd the small girl. Storm runs through the crowd to hug her, having been worried sick by all of the adult's behavior throughout the day. Nashi stand among them, not letting go of Natsu even as Storm stuck like a leech to her side, utterly bewildered. Having been safely at Natsu's house for the better part of the day, she didn't understand that she had caused quite the ruckus with her unexplained absence. Being so young and fairly unaccustomed to having a large group of people take care of her, the consequences of disappearing in the middle of the night did not at all occur to her. She wondered if something had happened, absolutely baffled when someone passes her and punches Natsu in the face, sending him flying back.

"That's for making us worry, Fire Face."

It made sense to Natsu that he was held accountable in the end, though his thoughts had been preoccupied enough by Nashi herself that he hadn't really thought to consider it. Grudgingly, he apologized to Lisanna once she recovered. Other than that, he just dismissed the accusations flung his way until they died down, not wanting to get into it.

When Nashi asks later that night to go home with Natsu, a number of the guild members are shocked. Cana grins, winking at Natsu as Lisanna assures his daughter repeatedly that she takes no offense. Still, she is surprised when she finds herself saddened to see her go, asking herself aloud when she had become so attached to the sweet pink-pigtailed little girl. Mira only laughs at her sister, pulling her into a comforting side hug as she reminds her that they are all family.

* * *

 **Whew. Okay. Well, this is barely edited but I wanted to get it out to you guys, so thank you for waiting! A lot is happening now, and the next chap is going to be way crazier. See you soon! Happy new year!**


	10. Things Lost Are Bound To Be Found

The nightly walks had become so habitual to Wendy, she now found herself practically nocturnal. On Fairy Tail's rowdier nights, she would simply wait longer before setting out, not wanting to encounter any members. Despite her hope that the time to herself would cool her temper and nerves, the lack of contact only served to deepen her resentment, as it was left to only boil inside of her with no refuge. She had a strong desire to march into the guild and prove herself, but was too embarrassed by her actions to follow through; a particularly ridiculous notion, as most members were oblivious to her plight.

She had long since memorized the streets since her initial walk. So well, in fact, that she could complete it without an ounce of her heightened senses, and blindfolded to boot. The nights in Magnolia were monotonous, never changing. The only thing that ever varied was the amount of time she'd spend each night, which was not a particularly exciting change.

The monotony muddled her mind, so when something finally happened, the switch into overdrive had her stumbling in shock. A scent had caught her attention via a rare gust of wind and hit her full-force out of the blue. Had it not persisted, she would have sworn it was her imagination, because what she had just smelled was impossible, wasn't it? What would Lucy be doing, wandering these streets so late at night? Had the long-lost blonde escaped whatever had been holding her—had she finally, after all of these years, come home? It seemed an impossible dream.

After a moment of stilled shock, Wendy dared to follow the scent, albeit slowly. As she moved, her muddled mind fought to conjure an explanation that would counter her hopefulness. Even so, not one of her halfhearted conclusions came close to what she discovered at the end of her trail. Kicked aside over the curb of the street, sitting in the gutter, was a relic now infamous in the Fairy Tail guild, belonging to their newest member.

Wendy reaches for the doll unthinkingly, turning left and right as if she would see the little girl nearby. Pausing in her position just inches from the doll, she was surprised to see no trace of Nashi, or rather, surprised to see the doll abandoned. Wendy had been under the impression that the doll and daughter were inseparable. As her mind was steadily clearing, Wendy was also overwhelmed by the realization that such a strong, persistent scent was coming from a mere doll. The Sky Dragon Slayer has always supposed that the smell came from Nashi, as it had always been on her hip if not in her arms. And yet, even more shocking was the revelation that, separated from Nashi, it was without question: the scent now was 100% genuine Lucy Heartfilia.

Wendy's heart began it's descent into her stomach as she considered the facts. Thanks to her dragon's senses, she was well aware that people's scents never linger for long, so the indisputable fact that it stuck to such a doll that Lucy had never even held was more than troublesome. And another thought—did Natsu know? He must have. That must be why he was so distant to Nashi. Wendy considered that she might take it to Master Laxus, or perhaps Makarov would know what to do in this situation, but—wait, weren't they away? Having kept her distance from the guild, she wasn't sure. With her reluctance to go and the late hour what it was, she decided not to bother. Maybe . . . maybe she should take the doll to Porlyusica? But alone in the night, Wendy shook her head as if to shake away the mere thought of it, Porlyusica's previous "Get out," echoing in her head. What other options did she have, though? Maybe, in spite of everything—their fight, her embarrassment—she should ask Romeo what he thinks she should do . . .

Standing there in the dimly lit street with no one else around, Wendy relapsed into all of her negative feelings. She wanted to prove herself. Screw everyone else. She could figure this out. She was no failure. She would succeed, and without anyone else's help. Or were they all forgetting who she was? She was Wendy Marvell, Sky Dragon Slayer and perfectly proficient in healing magic. That one mistake on her last job didn't mean anything. Nope. Nothing at all. And Wendy was going to prove it.

With her new suspicions regarding the doll and misguided determination, Wendy grabbed it in her clutches, immediately going to brush off the dirt from the street. As she did so, she felt something stirring from the object in her hands. She had never picked it up before today. Could it be? Was that even possible?

She reviewed the facts. Nashi was no healer, so she wouldn't sense this. She didn't have the magic to call on Lucy's stronger, smarter spirits, nor did she share the same bond with them. Any information that any of the spirits might've had was unattainable if she couldn't casually summon them. And Nashi didn't have the nose of a dragon slayer, either. There's no way she could sense the resemblance. Her inclination to steal the doll was simply because it appeared to look like her mother. That made sense.

What didn't make sense was why such a doll even existed in the first place.

And another thing. This doll came from a magic shop, did it not? She struggled to remember Nashi's story. Wendy grew frustrated that she hadn't stuck around to greet Natsu when he'd returned the other night instead of storming out. With the doll in her hands radiating subtle signs of life, she now craved to know if he'd found any new information while away. Being Natsu, she was certain he must've found something of value or he wouldn't have returned. Even so, if he'd known about the doll, why wouldn't he take it? Then again, he didn't have her healing abilities, so that couldn't be it. So the question begged, what could it possibly be?

Caught between all of this and the outrageously familiar smell still assaulting her senses, Wendy worked her way to an old building out on the edge of town, where she might have some privacy. It was abandoned, just at the edge of the woods. She and Romeo had discovered it ages ago, and there they would occasionally rendezvous. Considering this and the fact that he was currently out of town, Wendy was confident it would be empty and available for what she was about to do.

After making her way into the small abandoned building and locking the door behind her, the young healer of Fairy Tail headed to a backroom, where she knew a bed would be waiting for her. She laid the doll onto the bed, handling it much more gingerly than she imagined Nashi ever had because of her newfound theory. Once the doll was situated with plenty of space surrounding it, the dragon slayer craving to prove herself and drowning in self doubt and determination immediately went to work.

Wendy stood over the doll for an innumerable amount of hours, casting a wide variety spells in the hope that some might catch and maintaining a steady stream of magic energy in an attempt to infuse some energy into the doll simultaneously. She was still working when she fell over, utterly exhausted and depleted. Without Carla present to pace her, she fell to the floor unconscious, and the floor is where she stayed as the moon cycled over repeatedly. Because of her recent frequent absences from the guild, no one knew of her location or suspected her to be missing. Added to that, Romeo was still on his job, and no one else knew of their abandoned hideaway hidden on the edge of town. There was no one who would find her to help her recover, so she slept for a whole four days before finally waking on her own. Her eyes took their time blinking open, adjusting to the daylight that leaked through the small window. Her blue hair was in unusual disarray and her magic energy was completely and utterly drained. It would take quite a while to properly replenish.

The young woman's memory of the events leading up to her small coma was foggy, so Wendy's breath hitched as her eyes landed on the bed and she barely managed to catch herself from falling right back over. It was all she could do to stare at the dull blonde hair falling from the pillow. The dragon slayer moved her gaze from the top of the blonde head, sweeping over the pale skin and malnourished physical frame that followed. Her eyes followed the gentle rise and fall of the chest, down to the faded pink insignia on the top of the figure's hand.

Her clothes were the same, down to the blue ribbon in her hair. It was simultaneously astounding and terrifying. Wendy almost couldn't believe it. She had done it. She had found Lucy Heartfilia. And she had healed her. She might have stood for minutes, or an hour, simply staring at her sleeping friend, both of them completely immobile. And then it happened, like a snap. Realization dawned, and Wendy found herself overwhelmed with the sudden urge to cry. The tears poured as she hunched over Lucy, their Lucy, ecstatic that she was here and breathing and alive. Because she was—breathing, alive. All of the negativity that had been plaguing Wendy was dismissed in a flash, and she suddenly couldn't care less of her past mistakes. She just had to tell someone! Oh, she had to tell Natsu. Immediately, as soon as possible, she's got to race to the guild now, but—should she leave Lucy?

The fact was that Wendy, though she had woken up, was much too exhausted to carry Lucy to the guild, and also afraid of hurting her from the movement. Lucy's body was frail in the bed. On one hand, Wendy was reluctant to leave when Lucy's health could take a turn for the worse at any instant. On the other, how long would it be before someone came looking for her? Again, Romeo, of course, was still on his solo job, and her visits to the guild hall had been short and infrequent. On top of all of that, Carla was probably worried about her. Wendy herself did not know how long she'd been out, and she hadn't exactly brought any lacrima with her. When she had left her room, it had been with the intention of a mere nightly walk; a few hours, tops. But then again, they knew she was acting temperamental. On top of that, her guildmates knew she could—at least more often than not—take care of herself. It was doubtful that they would send out a search party. Not like if she'd been on a job.

Squaring her shoulder with another look at the blonde in the bed, Wendy marched off to the Guild hall, intent on finding someone. Anyone.

Erm, probably Natsu.

And when she did, she couldn't help her smile.

It was about midday, Wendy deduced on her walk over. It had been quite a while since she had deigned to go out in daylight, and it felt good on her skin. The sun itself was shining bright in the sky, warming the streets. It was plenty late enough for Natsu to be causing his usual ruckus. Stepping into the guild affirmed that he was, but he was also doting all over Nashi, who—contrary to how Wendy would have expected the girl to act after losing her doll—was ripe with smiles and energy and infectious laughter. A quick look around told her all of her guild mates were smiling at the two, suddenly a loving father and daughter. Some, like Gray, wore smirks on their faces, but others like Mira were smiling ear to ear. Still, joy hung heavy in the air. It was a well welcome atmosphere.

Wendy waited as Natsu held Nashi up over his head, running around to simulate flying and surprising her with occasional spontaneous flips. The Sky Dragon Slayer was helpless to do anything but watch. Natsu just looked so happy.

"Good to see you, Wendy," Mira cheered from her place behind the bar, beckoning her over. After a scrutinizing look, Mirajane observed, "You look tired. Are you feeling okay?" Wendy's smile slipped a bit from her face as the younger girl faced suspicion sooner than she was prepared for. Leave it to Mira to notice everything. Wendy clutched her messy blue ponytail nervously as her eyes strayed away from the takeover mage. In truth, she hadn't payed a single thought to her appearance, but she was paying for it now.

"I'll be fine, I'm just tired from training." Close enough to the truth. Eyes straying back to Natsu, she asked "How long have they been like that?" Part of her question was out of genuine curiosity; the two had certainly not been so close during her last visit. The other reason she asked was to redirect Mira's attention.

"Arent they adorable? It's been at least a week, now. They've actually been getting closer since Natsu returned, but then Nashi disappeared overnight, and the two of them showed up together the next day, all over each other. I'm not entirely sure what happened, but I'm happy for them. It's really about time. And she's even staying with him now." They both turned their attention to watch as Natsu slowed to a stop, setting Nashi down once Storm appeared at his feet. Ever since Natsu accepted Nashi, her grudge against Storm had completely disappeared, much to the relief of the young boy. As they ran off to play on their own, Wendy excused herself as she approached the now-alone Natsu.

"Hey, Natsu?" She greeted, frowning slightly when her words came out more like a question. Her nerves were returning, it would seem. Evidently he either didn't notice or didn't care as he turned to face her, the biggest grin stretched across his cheeks.

"Hi Wendy! How ya been?" But even his newfound love for Nashi didn't dull his senses for long. before she could work out an answer for him, he countered with more questions.

"You look a little sick. Are you okay? Or—wait." Natsu narrowed his eyes and sniffed the air, looking around the hall before zeroing back in on Wendy, who was beginning to sweat. He lowered his voice, but could not keep out the accusatory tone as he asked her, point blank, "Why do you smell like Lucy?"

Cue slight panic. The young woman was temporarily stunned into silence.

After a brief moment of consideration on Natsu's part, he concluded that she must have found his daughters missing doll, though further inspection quickly proved that impossible, as he didn't see it on her person. Maybe she had it in her room? He thought that was probably it, the smell was too faint anyway now that he thought about it, she could return it to him later—

But for all that she was, Wendy was no mind reader. Regathering her courage, she told him all that she was willing to let slip in the crowded guild hall.

"I think… Maybe you'd better come with me, Natsu."

"To Fairy Hills? No thanks. You can bring us the doll later, Nashi's actually been pretty okay—"

"I don't have the doll in my room!" She exclaimed, before calming herself. Her nerves were quite a bit frayed. He looked at her oddly, unprepared for her outburst. "Come with me, Natsu." Wendy's tone turned unexpectedly serious and she was practically pleading at him now. "Please."

Somewhat stupefied at Wendy's behavior, Natsu nodded along, shouting to Gray to keep a close eye on his daughter until he got back. His curiosity was killing him as he trailed behind Wendy throughout most of Magnolia, only getting more and more intense, and her refusal to answer any of his questions just boggled him further. No, her weird behavior certainly was not helping.

They finally stopped outside of a small, slightly decrepit building in daylight, shrouded by a thin layer of trees. It looked to be abandoned, but as a gust of wind blew by, Natsu caught Lucy's scent even stronger than it had been before. Nashi was at the guild though—so why? The pink haired dragon slayer was overwhelmed by a fierce feeling stronger than his curiosity, one he could not seem to name. In true Natsu fashion, he slammed through the door, impatient enough with Wendy to let her even unlock and open it, and followed his nose to a room on the opposite side.

Wendy took stock of the situation as he stopped in the bedroom doorway. Neither spoke, and neither moved. Natsu could only stare at the figure in the bed, and Wendy, still outside by the front door, could only stare at him.

"Wendy," he rasped, breathless. "What have you done?"

It was all a blur from there.

* * *

She woke up to a variety of voices. Two were feminine, only one of them distinctly so, and while they both spoke quietly, the one male voice in the room was loud and clear, lacking the consideration for the sole seemingly-sleeping occupant of the room. She was confused and disoriented, and couldn't quite make our their conversation despite the volume. All of their words sounded jumbled. As she laid quietly on her bed, eyes still closed, pounding surfaced in her head, growing stronger in record time. Her head was in so much pain that she almost failed to register the aching in her limbs. Once she did, she released a small groan, alerting the room to her discomfort. All conversation immediately ceased around her and Lucy belatedly realized that it wasn't just her limbs. An odd mix of pain and numbness plagued the entirety of her body. Of course, she had not yet opened her eyes, and the other occupants of the room were left trying to work out whether or not she was awake.

Natsu stopped himself mid-speech the moment he heard the small noise emit from Lucy's lips and stared at her. While her vital organs seemed in working order, that was the first sign of life she had granted them since Wendy's . . . discovery. He had stayed by her side constantly and stubbornly, ignoring Porlyusica whenever she rotated in to take over for Wendy. It had been days since they had fetched the cranky old woman, and she was the only one they'd told. Now it was the three of them with Lucy in the room. After a moment of static silence, Wendy called out to her tentatively.

"Lucy?"

It was the distinctly feminine voice that broke the silence, but Lucy couldn't make out the short word. The pounding in her head continued to increase, and her body felt wrong. Foreign, almost. The fact that she couldn't name the feeling, even with her usually extensive vocabulary, frightened her. She had to clear her mind. Deep breaths.

More easily said than done, though. When she attempted to breathe in deeply and found she couldn't, she began to choke on air—and the accompanying panic certainly did not help the matter. Her eyes flew open through the shock of it as the poor blonde struggled to breathe normally.

Almost immediately the three people watching her flew into action, Porlyusica rushing out to fetch a potion and Wendy helping Lucy into a proper position that would help her breathe more easily. Natsu was hanging over the bed, desperate to help and uncertain how. He settled for resting his hands on either side of her face, moving them to brush back her hair as the blonde settled back, sitting up now.

Lucy's eyes widened as she registered hands touching her back and head. Though her vision remained fuzzy and unfocused, the sudden onslaught of human contact after so much time deprived of it sent chills through her body, despite Natsu's natural heat. Her foggy mind was consumed by disbelief, but she could feel their skin on hers. It was an overwhelming sensation.

The revelation that she had skin again almost sent Lucy into a full-blown anxiety attack. It took minutes to calm her, Wendy persistently rubbing slow circles into her back and Natsu speaking words to her in a soft voice that didn't suit him.

Despite taking her time, she eventually began to calm down. Just slightly, but enough to stop shaking and focus her gaze ahead of her. Finally she took in her surroundings, or what she could see of them. White walls reflecting sunlight from the window filled her peripheral, disturbed only by shelves of colorful bottles which seemed to glow in the light of the room mixed with her tired vision. Most of the room was blocked though, and as she focused her vision, the dark shape in front of her began to take form. There was a head, maybe about a foot away, and covering its eyes sat a familiar pile of pink. Thoughts still jumbled, Lucy mumbled out the only name that made sense to her in a cracked voice, rough from disuse and almost too quiet to hear. If not for their elevated dragon senses, the two others in the room may have missed it.

"Na…shi…"

Wendy's hand stilled on her back as she debated on what was best to say. Natsu raised his face to hers and moved closer, finally succeeding at catching her eyes.

"Hey, Lucy, hey. She's okay." His voice was louder this time, filled with wonder and what he hoped was reassurance. She was okay. Lucy was okay. She was alive, and she was awake, and she was here, and hearing her voice, disfigured as it was, is what made it clear. Natsu wanted to sing.

And then Lucy realized two things. Though she still couldn't grasp their words, the voice that emerged from below that pink hair was masculine, and after a moment of looking into his dark eyes, she understood. The realization that she was lying with Natsu in front of her—the Natsu she had been missing for years—is what sent her over the edge.

Her throat restricted. She couldn't breath properly. It felt as though someone had her whole upper body in a vice grip and kept squeezing tighter and her heart beat out of control. She still couldn't summon strength in her arms in order to wrap them around herself and that only served to terrify her further. She was too numb. She was in pain, and she couldn't move. It was all she could do when she cried out, and once she started, the sobs and tears simply wouldn't stop. In the end, Lucy cried herself to exhaustion with Wendy and Natsu virtually helpless at her sides, and fell off into sleep.

Neither of them could quite come up with something to say. Porlyusica had returned, of course. The older wizard was busying herself by tending to Lucy's pain, trying to ease her burden as she laid unconscious. She shook her head at the utter uselessness of the others in the room as they sat in a heavy haze of shock, relief and concern. But what could she do? Two great Dragon Slayers, sure. But evidently they were not so great with words. Before leaving the older healer sighed heavily, catching their attention as she moved to the door. After instructing them to give her space if she woke, and not to dare ask her questions, the woman made herself scarce.

It was late when Wendy called Natsu's name. Or early. Neither of them quite knew. And Lucy had not woken again.

"Natsu," Wendy repeated. He'd barely moved an inch since Lucy fell back asleep, just remained slumped in a chair and staring at her with unfocused eyes while Poryusica had done her work. "It was a panic attack. There's a good chance she doesn't know how she got here." She paused for a response, but Natsu continued to say nothing. "It's been two months of lost time for her, and its hard to tell what state her body is in until she can tell us."

She stared at him imploringly. Nothing. "I think… I think Lucy wasn't expecting to see us. If she really didn't experience the last two months at all, there's no rhyme or reason. For how she got here, or why she feels however she might feel. I think it might be best, or easier at least, if we… well, maybe we should bring Nashi."

At the sound of his daughter's name, Natsu did not look at Wendy, but instead buried his head in his hands. His sister-figure watched as he dropped his head deeper in his lap, running his hands up through his hair and then pulling tightly at the ends. He heaved his breath loudly before finally, finally shifting his gaze to the younger girl.

It took another, albeit shorter, moment before he said "No." Thankfully after a glance back at Lucy, he elaborated:

"Nashi doesn't know that Lucy was actually her doll. She might not understand why her mother doesn't remember the past two months with her, if that's even it. Or she might ask difficult questions, or if Lucy's not okay, I don't want to do that to her." His words left his mouth so clearly that Wendy inferred he had been brooding over this for a while. She almost didn't pick up on the slight break in his voice.

Natsu did not specify who 'her' was referring to. Wendy suspected that he meant both his daughter and Lucy, even if he wasn't sure himself.

"I'm happy she woke up," He continued, unbidden, "But I'm worried. Why didn't she move, or breathe, or… recognize me?" And suddenly Wendy could recognize that foreign emotion she heard in his voice. It was a whole new kind of heartbreak.

Though she doubted that he would respond well, Wendy spoke the next words that came to mind with conviction.

"You should go, Natsu." The look he shot her once those words slipped out was outraged, crazed, and accusing, but she cut him off before his retaliation. "I think you need to see Nashi. And she'll be missing you too, I bet. She just got you. And she's still little. Don't deprive her of both of her parents, okay?"

This clearly hadn't occurred to him, if his reaction was any indication. He stood, mouth agape with no words leaking out, before walking over to Lucy where she lay on the bed. He leaned over, careful not to touch her in fear of causing her pain, and brought his face to the side of hers. His whispered words were so low, even Wendy's sensitive hearing could not pick up on all of them. But she heard his resolve in his last two words before he righted himself, moving toward the door before disappearing back out into the rest of the world.

Despite the situation, the young woman pulled on her ponytail and smiled once the door closed, leaving her to continue to watch over Lucy. The words of her idol and self proclaimed brother lingered in her ears.

I promise, he'd said.

And Wendy never knew him to break a promise.

* * *

 **I know the mystery of the missing women just started, but it's gonna be taking a backseat. Surprise! Not well edited, so if you see mistakes feel free to let me know. Next chap we're gonna see how okay Lucy really is. How long do you think they can keep it under wraps? It's not like Wendy and Natsu are the only dragon slayers in the guild.**

 **I love hearing what you all have to say! and thanks for the favs and follows, it's kind of wild and means a lot!**


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